


Everglow

by decorationxx (Mitzsie)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Harry, Alpha Liam, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Confused Louis, Harry is in his last year, It's actually a private school for alphas and omegas, Louis-centric, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Miscommunication, Older Harry, Omega Louis, Omega Niall, Omega Zayn, They're soulmates, and Louis is in his first, except Harry decides Louis is still too young to act on that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-05-29 00:12:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6351139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mitzsie/pseuds/decorationxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis always wanted to meet his soul mate at a young age. Too bad Harry didn't feel the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks so much for checking this fic out, I really hope you like it! This is probably the shortest chapter in the whole fic, so you can definitely expect more next time.
> 
> Questions/comments/concerns are all welcome and encouraged!

Alphas and omegas didn’t go to public school.

It was probably the only drawback after the blood work came back—Louis was quite pleased with his omega status otherwise. Most people didn’t present until they were sixteen, but as early presentation was possible, the government mandated testing be done before the start of secondary school in order to separate out the alphas and omegas in advance.

The whole thing was a bit silly, Louis thought. Not only was he being uprooted from his family, he was also being separated from all his friends. And why? To go to an Alpha/Omega specialty school. It was basically a boarding school, with dorms, a cafeteria, and a fancy school building. There were a few other facilities around the small campus, but he’d yet to really get out and explore after his mum dropped him off the previous day. Instead he’d spent his time unpacking, meeting his roommate, and thinking about what a bad idea this was.

On the one hand, it made sense—they’d run through all the standard curriculum, but also have supplementary courses to learn about their statuses. On the other hand, it was stupid—putting only alphas and omegas together, even in a controlled environment with lots of security cameras, seemed potentially disastrous. He’d heard the horror stories about alphas losing control around omegas, and even a few stories about omegas taking advantage of alphas during ruts.

A bunch of hormonal teenagers adjusting to their new statuses seemed most prone to making mistakes, but what did Louis know? Supposedly that’s why it was imperative they learned to interact with one another ‘properly’ at a young age. The school was ‘equipped to handle inappropriate behavior’—whatever that meant. Betas made up the vast majority of the population, so public schools couldn’t spare the funding for strictly Alpha/Omega coursework or the ‘necessary safety measures’.

“Which orientation group do you have?”

Louis uncurled himself from his pillow, sitting up slowly before glancing at his roommate. Zayn, apparently. They’d both been too lost in thought to get much beyond introductions and small talk the previous day, but he seemed nice enough. He was eyeing Louis patiently, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as Louis snatched the welcome packet from his desk.

“Group B,” Louis read, glancing up at Zayn hopefully. “You?”

“Group D,” his roommate replied, deflated. “What’s the point in rooming us together if they separate us right away?”

“Don’t know. Maybe they want to force us to meet more people,” Louis mused with a shrug. “I’d rather be with you. Be nice to at least know _one_ person.”

“Yeah. I hope we aren’t grouped with any alphas at least.”

Louis nodded in agreement. “Same. Were any of your friends back home alphas?”

“Yeah. One of my best friends, it was like he was a whole new person after his blood work came back,” Zayn said with a deep frown. “Not even presented yet, and he was acting like he was suddenly better than me.”

Louis scowled. “I hate alphas like that. But hey, at least he’s not your soul mate or something.”

Zayn visibly shuddered. “That’d be the worst. I don’t know what I’ll do if I get stuck with an alpha like that.”

“You won’t. That’s the whole point, innit? Your true mate’s meant for you, so you’ll be compatible.”

“Let’s hope so,” Zayn agreed, still skeptical. “Plenty of alphas want their omegas at home, soul mate or not. They’re still catching up to the omega rights laws.”

Louis understood all too well. He was lucky—his mum and stepfather were very supportive of all the new omega rights laws. In fact, his mum was an omega, and she not only had a job, but was one of the hardest working people he’d ever met. That was why he’d been so pleased to hear about his own status. How could he not be proud when his family was so thrilled and accepting?

But he knew not all families were the same. “Suppose that’s why we’re here, right? To make sure everyone knows we’re equals.”

“I guess. I hope I don’t meet my mate until after uni though,” Zayn admitted.

“Most meet _during_ uni, don’t they?”

“Yeah, but I can dream, right? If I’m already working, they probably won’t ask me to stop.”

“Good plan. Can’t say I’d mind meeting mine sooner though,” Louis said with a small smile. “Me mum’s always going on about how she wishes she’d met my stepfather sooner. Not that she regrets having me with my real dad, but still. She makes it sound magical.”

Zayn smiled back fondly. “My parents are the same, but I’m good with waiting.”

“Well, at least you won’t have to worry for the next four years. The odds of finding your mate before you’re 18 are nearly zero,” Louis said, hopping from his bed to snatch a uniform from his wardrobe. It was nearly time to leave for his orientation. He eyed his outfit with distaste—it was so boring. Dark blue slacks, a white button up, a dark blue blazer with the school insignia…He grabbed some red suspenders, not caring that they wouldn’t be visible. At least _he’d_ know they were there. “What time’s your group start?”

“Soon,” Zayn said, eyeing his phone. “Shit, I better go now. See you later?”

“Yeah. Let’s grab dinner together?”

“Sounds good. I’ll meet you here whenever you’re done.”

“Okay. Oh, any idea where room 18B is?”

Zayn considered the question for a moment. “Think it’s in the main building, down the first hall on the right. Should be labelled, but maybe go a few minutes early in case you can’t find it.”

“I’m notoriously late,” Louis revealed with a grin.

He quickly started to get dressed as Zayn chuckled and said goodbye, realizing that he was well on his way to proving his statement true. If he didn’t find it right away, he’d _definitely_ be late. Without another thought, he grabbed his student ID and phone, not needing anything else.

It was just a tour for first year students—they’d explore the small campus, play a few pointless introductory games, maybe have a scavenger hunt or something. Nothing too painful, and with any luck, he’d meet someone as laid back as Zayn to joke around with. Maybe Zayn would meet someone too, and they’d have their own tiny group started on their first real day.

The halls were empty as he left the omega-only dorm building, and he picked up the pace as he made his way to the main building. Definitely late. There were a few people in the courtyard, but he kept to himself, moving with purpose toward his destination. He barely made it two steps inside the building before coming to a grinding halt, straightening in surprise as a shudder ran down his spine.

_What the…_

There was only one person in sight, and Louis couldn’t look away. Another student, judging by the uniform—but this one was black. _Alpha._ He would’ve realized that without the color coding, made obvious by the man’s presence. He was so _tall,_ and domineering. Louis wanted to tip toe up and touch his curly brown hair, wanted to examine his face more closely, maybe run a finger along those kissable lips…

But mostly he wanted to look into his eyes. Whoever this alpha was, he was looking anywhere _but_ Louis, almost pointedly so. That just wouldn’t do.

“Shit,” the man cursed, barely a whisper.

Another shudder hit him as he heard the man’s voice, prompting an involuntary whimper.

“What’s happening to me?” Louis asked, mind reeling as the alpha moved forward.

It was getting hard to breathe properly—too hard. And his _skin_ , why was it on fire? The air was pulsing around him, unbearably hot. The only cool points were where the alpha’s hands were, steadying him around the waist as his knees threatened to buckle.

The alpha ignored his question, groaning as he sniffed Louis’ neck. “How old are you, love?”

Louis leaned into the alpha’s hold, startled by how _good_ the contact felt. It wasn’t enough, but he wasn’t exactly sure what _enough_ was. All he knew for sure was, this alpha had asked a question, and he needed to try to answer it. “…14.”

“ _Shit_ ,” he cursed again, gripping Louis tighter. “Do you have your own room?”

He shook his head quickly. “Roommate.”

“Do you have a heat kit?”

“What?” Louis asked, eyes wide as he looked up. The alpha’s eyes were still elsewhere, focused on anything but his own. “First years don’t need them.”

“Clearly you do,” the alpha told him, and that was the end of that debate. Louis nodded his head helplessly, gasping as the alpha picked him up with ease. The next thing he knew, he was being held bridal style and carried outside of the building. Even the breezy air did nothing to help him, his skin prickling with sweat now. “I’m bringing you to the nurse. You’ll be safe there—they have rooms for this kind of thing.”

Louis nodded again, reaching out to touch the alpha’s hair the way he’d imagined just minutes before. It was so soft…He couldn’t help but breathe in his scent as well, not even embarrassed by the light moan that escaped his lips. There was something encompassing about the effect it had on his body, making his entire body pulse.

“What’s going on? Why’s it so…” _Fuck._ He couldn’t even get the words out, nuzzling into the alpha’s neck shamelessly. “So good.”

The man chuckled softly at that. “What’s your name, love?”

“Louis.”

“Louis,” the alpha repeated, his voice almost musical compared to Louis’, “You’re in heat.”

His mouth went dry at that. Heat. That wasn’t supposed to happen this year—not even next year. He was supposed to be an ordinary omega, going into heat when he was 16.

“Maybe it’s a panic attack. I have those sometimes.”

His heart was racing fast enough, that was for sure. This alpha’s presence was so unlike anything he’d ever experienced—it was nearly overwhelming. It wasn’t so hard to think it’d triggered some sort of attack.

“You’re in heat,” the alpha said, firmly this time.

Or it had triggered his first heat. He gulped, realization setting in. How long did he have before he lost control of himself? Before the dull ache he felt inside flared into a burning need? What did that even mean? Sure, he knew the basics about omega heats, but he was supposed to learn more _here,_ at school.

Actual panic began to mingle with all the other sensations flooding him. “Will you help me?”

“I am helping you. I’m bringing you to the nurse,” the alpha said, his words strained.

“No, I need…” He couldn’t place it, shaking his head as he inhaled another long breath of that wonderful scent. He clung to the alpha, sure about at least one thing, “I need you.”

“You don’t know what you need. You’re too young—haven’t even had a proper sex ed class yet.”

Louis whined, the noise causing the alpha’s jaw to clench. “Why won’t you look at me?”

“I can’t.”

“ _Please.”_

He was acutely aware he wasn’t just asking for a single glance at this point, desperate to meet this alpha’s dark gaze, but also desperate for so much more. His body was making the demands now, hot and needy in the alpha’s hold.

“Stop asking,” the alpha demanded, and something in his voice wouldn’t let Louis argue.

Before he realized it, they were in a separate building. A woman was nearby, exchanging words with his mystery alpha. Louis didn’t spare her a glance, too focused on the fact that his cock was harder than he could ever remember. He shifted in the alpha’s hold, suddenly desperate for some kind of friction.

“What’s—”

“Shh,” the alpha whispered, warm breath tickling his ear. “I need you to let go, love.” His grip on the alpha let up at the request, but not without a whimper and another long inhale of the man’s soothing scent. And then he was being set down on a mattress, his surroundings unfamiliar. “You’re doing so well, Louis. The nurse is going to take care of you now, okay?”

He reached out for the alpha again, only to have his hands caught by the alpha. “Please stay.”

“I can’t,” the alpha said again, shaking his head like he wasn’t convinced yet.

“It’s so hot…”

“Take your blazer off.”

“Harry, you really need to leave now,” the woman urged, a hand on the alpha’s shoulder. Louis scowled at her, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“In a minute,” the alpha, Harry, responded. His eyes were still on Louis, raking his body while still refusing to make eye contact. Louis blinked a few times, trying to process what was happening. The alpha's words came to his mind, and he shrugged off his blazer without another thought. Harry looked so good with that smirk on his face. “Suspenders?”

“ _Now,_ Harry,” the nurse insisted, far more adamantly this time.

Something about the look on his face made Louis tremble, vaguely aware that his bum was getting wet. Had he sat on something? He couldn’t quite bring himself to care as he eyed the obvious bulge in the alpha’s pants, the scent of alpha arousal making it impossible to think clearly. “I need you.”

Harry was frozen where he stood, fists clenched and nostrils flaring as he stared at the omega. And then he turned and walked out of the room, the nurse shutting the door behind him with a relieved sigh.

“You’re lucky. That was some remarkable restraint,” the nurse said, but her words were lost on Louis.

He was on his feet already, hurt and confused when she wouldn’t let him near the door. The next thing he knew, she was setting out a few things on the bed—toys that would’ve made him blush under different circumstances. She was talking and talking still, but all he could do was whimper as he thought about the alpha on the other side of that door.

Something told him Harry hadn’t left yet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again! Thanks so much for all the lovely feedback, I really appreciate it. I'm still new to this fandom, so I really wasn't expecting so many kind responses. Thanks again, and I'll be back with more next week!

"Your roommate brought you a spare uniform.”

Louis could barely look the nurse in the eye as he muttered a thank you, his mind too frazzled by what had happened to him the previous day. At some point, she’d left him alone in that room with the toys. The door had been locked when he tried to leave, and then…well, it was too _hot._ He’d stripped down, needing some kind of relief, and then the dull ache inside him had flared up painfully. It became too much to ignore.

The explanation she’d offered about the toys had gone unheard, but it hadn’t taken him long to figure out what he needed. Countless orgasms later, his heat was over, and he was nothing but embarrassed. Thankfully there had been a bathroom attached to the room he was in, one that he hadn’t noticed until he was in the right state of mind. He took the longest shower of his life, feeling dirtier than ever before as he scrubbed the dried cum and slick from his body.

_Slick._ Now that he was thinking properly, he knew exactly why he’d thought he sat on something wet. He’d actually produced slick. It made sense—that was what happened when a sexually mature omega was aroused. But it had been his first time. An omega’s first heat marked the day they were sexually mature.

Would it happen every time he was aroused now? The thought alone made him red. He woke up nearly every morning with an erection…would he be wet too? This was why he was supposed to take some damn classes before going into heat.

There was a knock on the room’s door, startling him as he dressed. “Louis, are you okay?”

“Yes,” he squeaked, hurrying up, “I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Take your time,” the nurse responded, and he heard footsteps as she walked away.

He breathed a sigh of relief, slowing down. How could he face her again? She knew exactly what he’d done in here. There was a mess, too. Would she have to clean this? A pang of guilt hit him, and he made a note to offer to do that himself if he could get the words out.

His hand was shaking when he finally went to open the door, making sure he had everything he came with—his dirty uniform, phone, and student ID.

“It’s okay, dear,” the nurse said softly, getting him to look up as he emerged from the room. “Nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“I…Thank you,” Louis ground out, forcing a smile. “For um. Everything.”

“It’s my job to help. Harry mentioned you were a first year?”

His heart beat faster at the mention of the handsome alpha. “Yeah, I am.”

“Well, I understand this must be a lot for you then. If you have any questions, or need any help, that’s what I’m here for,” she assured him, smiling almost fondly as his eyes went wide.

“Um…when will I…?”

“Six months, unless you’d rather go on suppressants,” the nurse told him. “It’s highly recommended for students in your age group.”

“Suppressants?”

“Medication to suppress your heats. It will also mask your scent while you’re on them,” she explained carefully. He frowned, not sure how to feel about that. It was a lot to take in, but he wasn’t ashamed of being an omega _._ She seemed to notice his hesitation, continuing, “You’re one of very few students who present at your age, so you may find your classmates don’t fully understand what you’re going through yet.”

Louis thought it over before shaking his head slowly. “I don’t want to hide.”

“Well, it’s your decision. If you change your mind, we can always revisit this conversation later—we’ll just have to call your parents for consent,” she told him with a kind smile. “I do have some scent neutralizing spray on hand, if you’d like that.”

“Do I smell different?” he asked quietly, blinking in surprised as she nodded. Part of him knew that already, but having it confirmed was weird. “Like…is it _really_ obvious?”

“To your classmates, no. To the older students, yes. It’s no more obvious than how they smell to each other though.”

His thoughts went back to Harry. No doubt he’d been older, but Louis couldn’t help wondering exactly how much older the alpha was. It wasn’t like he expected the nurse to know though, so he kept his Harry curiosities to himself.

“What do I do next time?” he asked instead.

The nurse moved toward her desk, gesturing for him to take a seat in front of it. “Do you have your student ID?” she asked, accepting it as he handed it to her. She plugged some information into the computer before passing it back. “So, you’ll be due early February. I put you in the system, so what will happen is, you’ll get a reminder the week before it’s due. Your teachers will also be notified because you won’t be able to attend class for three days before or after your six month mark. You’ll be emailed your assignments instead.”

“Why that long if it only lasts a day?”

“Sometimes it hits a day or two early or late. Best to be safe around here,” the nurse explained. “Once it’s over, just send a notice back to me, and the system will automatically schedule your next. It never hurts to mark your own calendar as well, just in case.”

“Okay,” Louis agreed, pulling out his phone to do just that. He realized he had missed quite a few messages—Zayn had sent some worried texts, his mum had called, and there was a text from an unknown number. That could all wait a minute, he decided, pulling up his calendar and plugging in his next two tentative heat days. “Do I come here for it?”

“I’ll be sending you with a heat kit,” the nurse replied, on her feet again before pulling a box out of one of the cabinets behind her. She handed it to Louis with a small smile as it dawned on him what was probably in the box. “You’re free to come here if you’d like, but most students find it more comfortable to stay in their own rooms.”

That idea horrified him. “I have a roommate.”

“Oh, right. First years get paired,” the nurse said, mostly to herself. “I’ll see what I can do. The older students have suite-style rooms—three separate bedrooms with a shared common room and bathroom. There’s a chance I can get you switched to one of those so you can have some privacy.”

“Would my roommate be able to come with me? He’s the only person I really know here,” Louis said hurriedly, relieved when the nurse promised to at least try. Hopefully Zayn wouldn’t mind being uprooted so soon—it sounded like an upgrade in terms of space, not to mention they’d have their own bathroom. “Is there anything else I should know?”

“Nothing you won’t learn in class between now and your next heat. Omega health is in every first year’s schedule.”

“I missed orientation,” Louis realized with a frown.

“No need to worry about that, I had you excused. You’ll have to report to the main office at some point today to pick up your class schedule, and I’m sure they can find someone to show you around campus. Any more questions, dear?”

“Um. I tried to clean up the room a little, but—”

“Don’t worry about that either,” the nurse told him, already moving to put on a pair of latex gloves. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay,” he mumbled, averting his gaze as his face lit up red again. “Suppose that’s it then. Thank you again.”

“You’re welcome. Remember to come see me if you change your mind about the suppressants!”

Louis promised he would before hurrying out the door, but not before hiding his heat kit in his rumpled old uniform. He tucked it under his arm, moving with haste toward the omega-only dorm building. There were _a lot_ more people out and about now that first year orientation was done, and he couldn’t help feeling like all eyes were on him as he moved.

Everyone must _know._ His uniform from the previous day probably wreaked of heat…

“What’s the hurry, beautiful?”

“Sorry, can’t talk now,” Louis said, not looking up to see who had spoken to him.

As if he wasn’t embarrassed enough already. He pulled out his ID card from his back pocket, sliding it at the door to gain entry to the building before finally breathing a sigh of relief. It still felt like he was being watched, but when the door shut behind him, at least he knew he wouldn’t be bothered.

Omegas would understand. They might even sympathize with him, not that he planned to hang around the halls to find out. He ran up the stairs, too impatient for the elevator.

“Lou! Are you okay?” Zayn asked the minute he walked into their room.

He slumped on his bed, laughing involuntarily as the stress finally began to melt away. “I’ve had the _worst_ day.”

“I was worried about you! We were supposed to meet for dinner, but you never came back…the next thing I know, I’m being called to bring a spare uniform to the nurse’s office,” Zayn said, watching Louis intently as he spoke. “Is it true? Did you have an early heat?”

“You can’t smell it?”

He shook his head. “No, should I?”

“No, the nurse said only the older students would really be able to. I just wanted to double check I guess,” he explained, running a hand through his hair. “That's good then. She was right."

“So it _is_ true.”

“Yeah,” Louis confirmed, inwardly pleased when Zayn looked a bit overwhelmed by the news—it was nice to see that he wasn’t the only one who didn’t know what to make of it right away. “I was on my way to orientation, and it just…I don’t know. It hit me. I had no idea what was happening until I was told.”

Zayn’s eyes went wide. “Who told you? Were there loads of people around?”

“No, it was just…It’s going to sound weird, but there was this alpha,” Louis said, smiling involuntarily as the image of Harry filled his head. “He was the first thing I saw when I walked in the building, and then…”

Zayn arched a brow. “An alpha triggered your heat?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged pathetically.

“There’re only two reasons omegas have early heats, Lou. Either you have excess hormones, which they would’ve noticed when you got your blood test, or you met your soul mate,” Zayn told him slowly.

“I need to call my mum back, see if there was anything like that on the results from my blood test. I didn’t really read past the omega bit,” he admitted with a guilty smile. “Is it bad I’m hoping it’s the soul mate thing?”

“Why would it be bad? You just told me yesterday you wouldn’t mind meeting yours soon.”

“Yeah, but I don’t even know him. He just brought me to the nurse and left me there.”

Zayn nodded in understanding. “You must’ve felt something, otherwise you wouldn’t be hoping for it. Maybe it was the bond. Did he…you know?”

“Look me in the eyes?” Louis guessed, shaking his head when Zayn nodded. “Wouldn’t. It’s all a bit of a blur, but I remember asking him, and he said he couldn’t. At some point he said I was too young—I told him I needed him, and he said I didn’t know what I needed.”

“Sounds like you hit the jackpot to me,” Zayn said with a growing smile. “If he really is your soul mate, he wouldn’t have been able to walk away without mating you on the spot after looking you in the eyes.”

Louis’ face flushed, heart pounding at the thought. He’d heard all the stories—the way a bond is forged at first eye contact. The feeling was supposed to be unlike anything else. Something no one truly understood until they felt it.

How lucky would it be if he found his so soon…

“I wouldn’t have minded,” Louis decided. “I mean, I _am_ young, and I don’t really know about…you know. All that. But if he’s my soul mate, I want to be with him.”

“If he’s your soul mate, you’ve got plenty of time to be together,” Zayn reasoned. “You should be glad you got one who respects you enough to wait. You’re not even old enough to consent yet.”

“Soul mates are the exception to that law,” Louis reminded his roommate with a frown. “He might not even be mine. Maybe he’s just a nice guy—it could be he didn’t want to look just in case.”

“You should call your mum to see about that blood test, that way you know for sure.”

“I will. She’s probably freaking out that I didn’t call her last night—told her I would after orientation.”

“Do you want me to step out for a few so you can have some privacy?”

“No, you know what? I think I need some air,” Louis said, the weight of it all hitting him all over again. “Would you maybe show me around? I missed the tour and all that. Plus, I’ve got to stop by the main office to get my schedule apparently.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Zayn agreed easily.

Louis was vaguely aware of the way his roommate’s phone had been buzzing—maybe it was his family, an old friend, or even a new friend from orientation. It was a bit flattering that he was ignoring it, really. They didn’t even know each other well, but Zayn was putting him first like it was the most natural thing.

If he didn’t know better, he’d assume it was out of sympathy, but something about the fond look on Zayn’s face told him otherwise. This omega was going to be a very important friend, and it was obviously a mutual thought.

“Thanks, Z,” Louis said, the nickname rolling off his tongue.

It just made Zayn smile a bit more, rising to his feet and gesturing for Louis to follow. “Do you wanna do the tour first, or the office?”

“Um. Maybe the tour?” he ventured, uncertain. He felt a bit better about walking around campus now that he wasn’t carrying heat-saturated clothes and a box full of sex toys. It’s not like he was the only omega who’d be out and about, so he assumed his natural smell was no big deal. “Is there a football field?”

“Yeah, but it’s multi-purposed for a few sports,” Zayn told him, holding the door open for his friend. Louis stepped outside, glancing around a few times before he noticed Zayn watching him curiously. “Are you okay?”

“’M fine, just…when I came back from the nurse’s office, it felt like everyone was staring,” he admitted, hand on the back of his neck. “I know it’s stupid, but—”

“It’s not. I think anyone would’ve felt the same way.”

“She gave me a heat kit,” Louis said, laughing a bit when Zayn’s eyes widened almost comically. “I hid it as best I could, but it felt like everyone _knew._ ”

“Do I even want to know what’s in it?”

“I haven’t looked myself, but I’ve got a good guess after yesterday. We can open it together, if you want.”

Zayn’s face was actually a bit red as he nodded, “Yeah, okay. It’ll be good to know.”

“So were you with alphas yesterday?” Louis asked, ready to get onto a different subject now that they were in public.

He glanced around again as they walked, but didn’t see anyone paying any extra attention to them. Well, other than the people who did double takes as Zayn walked by, clearly captivated by his ridiculous good looks. Who could blame them? He’d done the same when they’d met, despite the fact they were both omegas.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t so bad,” Zayn answered, sounding pleasantly surprised by his own words. “I guess that guy I told you about from back home just left a bad taste in my mouth, you know?”

“Yeah. I’m sure we’ll meet some alphas like that here, but it’s good to know we’ll meet some nice ones too.”

“Like your soul mate.”

Louis couldn’t help but smile again. “I really hope he is. He was so…I can’t even explain it. Being near him made my whole body tingle.”

“Maybe that was the heat?”

“Could be,” he admitted reluctantly. “But I was still pretty _aware_ at first. Like, it’s not like it hit me all at once. The whole thing was gradual—I didn’t really lose myself until after I was alone in the heat room.”

Zayn snorted. “Is that what they call it?”

“Apparently,” he replied with a grin. “Sounds a lot funnier now that I’m not in one.”

“Is that even sanitary?”

“I think so. It was almost like a room at the doctor’s office, but with a real mattress. Think it was covered in plastic or something—I didn’t really look under the sheets.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Zayn teased, winking when Louis’ face lit up. “Makes you wonder how often these things happen.”

“Probably a lot. I mean, it’s not a _huge_ school, but there're plenty of omegas still—they have to present eventually.”

Zayn nodded as he thought it over. “Yeah, you’re right. Wonder where the alphas go? Wouldn’t make sense to have rut and heat rooms near each other.”

“I didn’t ask. Was it not part of the tour?”

“No, but they didn’t mention heat rooms either. They just pointed out the medical building.” Zayn pointed as he spoke, though it wasn’t necessary—Louis wouldn’t be forgetting where the nurse’s office was anytime soon. “That one’s the alpha dorm.”

Louis eyed the building, noting it was basically identical to the omega dorm building—just on the opposite side of the main building. “Where’s the field?”

“Back a ways behind the main building. Wanna cut through? We can pick up your schedule along the way, and I can show you where your classes are. Maybe we’ll have some together.”

“Yeah, okay,” he agreed, heart racing as they turned toward the main building.

It was all too familiar, the path he’d taken when he was hurrying to get to his orientation. Where was Harry now, he wondered? Classes didn’t start until the next day, so he could be anywhere, really. Not that they’d have classes together…Would he even run into the alpha again?

“What’s wrong?” Zayn asked, nudging him gently.

“I was just thinking, what if I don’t even see Harry again?”

“Is that your alpha’s name?” Louis confirmed it with a nod. “If you’re soul mates, you’ll see him.”

“Yeah, but he’s older. He won’t be in class with us.”

“All his classes are in the same building, Lou. It’s a small school, not to mention the fact there’s only one cafeteria. What year is he in?”

“No idea,” Louis shrugged. “We didn’t exactly have time for a nice chat.”

Zayn laughed, covering his mouth apologetically when Louis shot him a look. “I don’t know how you can say that so casually."

“It’s not that I’m casual, I just…I’m really pleased to be an omega. It’s all happening a bit fast, and some of it’s embarrassing, but it is what it is.”

His friend patted him on the back, murmuring something about how that was a good attitude. The sentiment was sweet, but forgotten as they finally stepped inside the building. Again Louis came to a grinding halt, a full body shudder tearing through him as the smell of a familiar alpha caught his attention.

Tucked away in a corner not five feet away from where he’d started his first heat, was Harry. Except he wasn’t alone this time. There was some blond caged between his arms, his body keeping her firmly against the wall…and something told Louis that the noises she was making weren’t in protest.

Harry seemed to stiffen momentarily, which only caused the girl to cling to him more. The way her fingers curled into his hair made his blood boil, even more so when the alpha was very clearly spurred on by her reaction.

He didn’t know what he was supposed to feel as he watched them, he just knew it hurt.

“Lou, are you okay?”

Louis shook his head, barely registering the pained whine that had gotten caught in his throat as he stared at the back of Harry’s big, beautiful head. So much for soul mates.

“I’m fine,” he said, forcing himself to meet Zayn’s concerned gaze. “Never better.”

Zayn wasn’t convinced, eyes flickering over to Harry before they were back on Louis’. “Are you?”

“I’m fine,” he insisted again, adamant this time. “We should get going.”

His friend nodded in understanding, unspoken questions filling his eyes. Thankfully Zayn kept them all to himself, though Louis knew he'd be asked after the tour. All he could do was hope he'd have some answers by then.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, apologies for the delay. I'm in the middle of a cross country move right now, so the next couple updates will be irregular. I'll try to get back on a weekly posting schedule once I'm settled, things are just crazy right now. Thanks so much for reading and all the lovely comments ~

Louis threw his phone down on his new mattress, dismayed.

Why did everything have to happen all at once? It wasn’t enough that he was uprooted and forced to go to this school. No, he’d had to have his first heat before classes even began. He had to meet stupid Harry, with his stupid curls, and stupid dimples…And then he’d had to see Harry and all over some random omega right where _they’d_ first met.

And then he’d had to carry on like it meant nothing to him because there was no way he was going to ruin his entire afternoon with Zayn—there was no way he was going to run back to his room and cry, even if that was exactly what he wanted to do. His roommate had caught on quickly, speeding up the ‘tour’ just so they could get back to their room to talk privately…

Only to find out their new rooms had been arranged already. They’d barely unpacked before they were packing up again, going up two levels to join the upperclassmen suites. Luckily Zayn was able to join him after all—not to mention incredibly grateful for the room upgrade despite having to go through the entire unpacking process again.

“What’d your mum say?” Zayn asked, leaning against the doorframe to Louis’ new, private room.

“She’s calling the lab to double check, but she said there was nothing on my paperwork,” Louis told him, looking a bit lost. “I don’t get it. If it wasn’t hormones, and it wasn’t Harry, why would I go into heat early?”

“You won’t know if it’s Harry until you look him in the eyes.”

Louis scoffed. “Hard to do that when he’s snogging someone else.”

“Don’t you think it’s weird he’d do it there? Right where your heat started?”

He _wanted_ to think it was weird—that maybe his scent lingered in the air, and had driven Harry mad with desire. That was all wishful thinking though, and even then he wouldn’t feel any better about the situation.

“It’s the main entrance to the busiest building on campus. I bet people snog near there all the time.”

“I dunno. Seems weird to me.”

Louis shrugged. “They told me he got some kind of reward or something. In the office.”

“ _What?”_

“When I went in for my schedule,” Louis explained quietly. “Apparently when students do the ‘right thing’, they get some kind of reward. He was probably there to get his, and then…”

“I’m sorry, Lou.”

“Who’re we talkin’ about?” Another voice cut in, thick with Irish accent.

Zayn looked over his shoulder, smiling a bit at their new suite-mate. Niall, they’d learned. He was two years ahead of them, and baffled to learn that they were both first years. There was something good-natured about him though, and it was obvious he didn’t really mind.

“The alpha who might’ve triggered Lou’s heat,” Zayn said vaguely, glancing at Louis like he wasn’t sure if it was okay to say more.

“We don’t know if that’s what happened,” Louis insisted, his words clipped.

“I might know him. Maybe I can help?” Niall offered, and…okay, Louis was intrigued. It might be nice to get a more experienced omega’s perspective on all this, too. He left his tiny room, following Zayn into their common area before settling on the couch between his new roommates. “What’s his name?”

“Harry.”

“There’s a few Harrys around here, but only one’s an alpha,” the Irishman told them, sounding very certain. “Harry Styles. He’s in his last year.”

“Do you know him?” Louis asked curiously.

Niall nodded. “I know everyone. Harry’s a good guy, if that’s what you mean. I usually run into him over in the alpha dorms—they throw parties most weekends, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Does he have a girlfriend?”

“No,” Niall laughed, the sound animated like it was _that_ funny. “He’s not really a relationship kind of guy. Not since I’ve known him at least.”

Louis couldn’t decide if that was good or bad. “Because he’s waiting for his soulmate?”

“He’s never talked about that with me, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Lots of people around here are like that. They just want to make the most of their time here before getting tied down to anyone, soulmate included.”

“But…finding your soulmate’s a good thing!”

“Course it is! But being happy until then is just as important,” Niall said, like he was stating facts. “You’ll learn more when you start your classes. Some people don’t find their soulmate for _years—_ it’s only natural to want some company until then. It’s instinct to want an alpha in our lives, just like they want an omega around.”

Louis frowned, understanding it, but not seeing how it was the same. “But if you found your soulmate, why would you want someone else’s company instead?”

“You wouldn’t. Once the bond’s forged, that’s it. Soulmates don’t cheat, and there’d be no point being with anyone else then.” Niall clapped a hand on Louis’ shoulder, a curious look on his face. “There’s gotta be more to the story. Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

He looked over at Zayn who was giving him an encouraging nod, then took a deep breath. And then he let it out—all of it, from running late to orientation, to seeing Harry there, to the lack of eye contact, to the nurse. Everything leading up to where they were now, including the uncomfortable details about Harry snogging another omega right in front of him.

“Wow,” Niall muttered, running a hand through his hair. “I mean, it’s hard to say. Harry wasn’t the only alpha in the building, he was just the first one you saw. The entrance is close enough to the main office that it could’ve been someone else—maybe another student was in there.”

“Yeah, but there was something about him. I’m sure.”

“You were in heat,” Niall said, like it was that simple.

Louis was about to argue that he wasn’t out of control right away, but Niall’s pointed stare told him not to bother. “Why didn’t he just look me in the eyes?”

“You’re 14,” the elder omega guessed, not sounding so sure anymore. “Harry’s gets a lot of action, but not from first years. He’s not that kind of guy.”

“Couldn’t he just tell me that then?”

“Didn’t he?” Niall challenged, raising both brows. “You said he called you too young.”

Louis opened his mouth to protest before realizing Niall had a good point. “I’d rather he tell me properly, when I’m not in heat. Seeing him with someone else right away, it was the worst thing I’ve ever felt.”

“He might not owe you an explanation, Louis. There’s a good chance he’s not your soulmate,” Niall said, at least sounding sympathetic despite his blunt words. “I don’t think he’d hurt you on purpose. You’re just going through a lot right now, and he wouldn’t understand.”

“What do you mean?”

“I still remember the first alpha I saw after presenting. It’s the first time you really smell them, and understand the draw we feel toward alphas. I was sure he was something special, but it turned out he was just like all the others. Nothing special at all.”

He buried his face in his hands, overwhelmed. “I’m going to feel this way about everyone?”

“Until you get used to it, yeah. It’s probably the only good thing about presenting early—you won’t be surrounded by them in class at least. It can be distracting at first.”

Zayn put an arm around his friend, and Louis immediately cuddled closer. “I think Niall’s right. Maybe you should forget Harry for now. We’ve got plenty of time to figure this all out.”

“You two are adorable,” Niall decided, a big grin on his face. “I might have to keep you.”

Louis buried his snort into Zayn’s chest, too lost in thought still to respond.

“You really don’t mind having two first years living with you?” Zayn asked, arching a brow.

“Nah, it’s better than living alone. I think they were hoping to mellow me out by putting you here, but it’s really not gonna do much,” Niall told them unapologetically. “I’ll just teach you my ways. It’s like they forgot you’re young and impressionable.”

“Um. We’ll both be 15 this year. You’re only 16.”

“And I’ll be 17! Either way, I’m older, wiser, and ready to show you my ways. Plus, having you is a big bonus,” Niall said, looking directly at Zayn. “You’re unpresented, so there’s no way they’d be able to track your scent.”

“…From what?”

“From all the pranks we’ll be pulling. We get into it every year—alpha versus omega. It’s mostly presented students, but I got pulled into it my first year and never looked back. No one ever suspects omegas of pulling half the stuff I’ve gotten away with.”

That caught Louis’ interest right away. He’d been known to pull a prank or two of his own back home. “Like what?”

“You’ll have to wait and see. Rule number one—first week is off limits. We don’t start planning until this weekend.”

“Why not?” Louis and Zayn asked, almost simultaneous

“It’s recruitment week! Gotta refill the roster after half our team graduated,” Niall explained happily, hopping off the couch. “You’re in, right?”

The first years exchanged a mischievous look, both nodding. If they were doing this, they’d be doing it together. “Yeah.”

“Awesome. It’s for the best if we don’t let any alphas know you’re rooming with me, okay? Otherwise you’ll be easy targets. I won’t avoid you or anything extreme, but I won’t be any friendlier than I am to everyone else.”

Louis smiled, suspecting Niall was pretty friendly with everyone anyway. “Is Harry on the alpha team?”

“Why? Hoping to slip some product into that perfect head of hair?”

“Maybe,” Louis shrugged innocently.

“Well, you’ll be pleased to know Harry’s in. He’s not very good at pranks, but he’s their best decoy. Too charming for his own good—he can get a whole room to focus on him while one of the others sets up. I should warn you now, never fall for the dimples.”

“Speaking from experience?” Zayn asked, both he and Louis laughing at the blush creeping onto Niall’s cheeks. “I have to admit, I’m curious to see his face. I only saw…well, you know.”

Louis frowned at the surge of memories. “It’s a good face—nice dimples,” he confirmed, much to Niall’s amusement.

“They’re killer. Luckily the pranks never go too far,” Niall assured them both. “That’s one of the other rules. No one gets hurt.”

“Not even by accident?” Zayn wondered.

“Never. They still want to get in our pants, so they don’t cross any lines. It’s all just for fun. We’ll go over all the other rules this weekend when the whole group’s put together.”

The two younger omegas laughed again, a little more nervous this time. It was easy to trust Niall though—if he said no one crossed any lines, they believed it. How many rules were there though?

“Are you lads hungry?”

“I am,” Zayn said, and Louis agreed quickly.

“Tell you what…you head over to the cafeteria now, and I’ll follow in a few minutes. I’ll come up with an excuse to sit with you without making it obvious we're rooming together,” Niall told them, smirking confidently.

It was really refreshing to see an omega who was so sure of himself, and Louis found himself nodding right away. Spending more time with Niall felt like a good idea the same way it had with Zayn. There was something magnetic about both his new friends—a sense of companionship he’d never quite known back home.

“I’m just gonna grab my phone,” Louis said, already on his way to his room. Zayn was off to do the same, and the pair waved at Niall before headed out. “I’m really excited about this.”

“The prank thing?” Zayn asked, smirking when Louis nodded. “Same. Doesn’t seem like there’s much to do here outside of classes.”

“He mentioned parties on the weekend, but I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

“Yeah, I don’t know if they’re meant for first years,” Zayn said slowly. “I guess we’ll see though. Maybe if we meet a few more people?”

“If they’re as nice as Niall it won’t be so bad.”

“Something tells me he’s one of a kind.”

Louis laughed. “Think you’re right about that.”

“Are you doing okay after all that? _Really?”_

His heart sank, but he found himself nodding anyway. “I don’t have a choice, do I? I have to be okay. Niall’s right, it’s not like Harry owes me anything. He already did me a massive favor, and he might not even be my soulmate.”

“You’re still hoping he is,” Zayn observed.

“I don’t know if I’m hoping, really,” he corrected, uneasy at the thought.

Why would he hope for a soulmate who turned around and snogged some other omega rather than looking him in the eyes to forge their bond? That, of course, didn’t change the reality of the situation—he’d felt something inexplicable in Harry’s presence. Twice now. No matter how much it hurt to think about Harry with another omega, he couldn't stop his heart from fluttering at the mere thought of the alpha.

Louis continued, “It doesn’t matter what I hope, does it? I think it’s him either way. Not that I don’t believe Niall, but I can’t imagine feeling this way about every alpha I meet.”

“We’ll probably run into more presented alphas in the cafeteria. Maybe try talking to one, see how you feel?”

Louis considered it. “I wouldn’t know what to say. They’re all older than us, aren’t they?”

“Well, you didn’t talk to Harry earlier, but you still felt something, right?” Zayn asked, waiting for Louis to nod. “Maybe you don’t need to talk to them either. Just get close enough and see how you react. If it’s too much, we’ll take our food back to our room.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Of course. We’re in this together, Lou.”

He jumped into Zayn’s arms, hugging his new friend close before they entered the cafeteria. “Thanks, Z. _Really._ I know we just met, but I feel like this is it. You’re my omega soulmate.”

Zayn laughed, the sound soothing and calm as he returned the hug. “If that was a real thing, you’d be right.”

“Just don’t tell Niall,” Louis said, winking as he pulled back. “Think he’s already quite fond of us.”

“Can’t say I blame him. I’ll keep it to myself for now.”

They shared a smile before stepping inside the cafeteria building, and Louis was immediately glad they’d lightened the mood beforehand. His heart rate was already speeding up, and he knew it wasn’t with the excitement that Harry seemed to produce—it was nerves. There were more than a dozen tables, all filled with a mix of alphas and omegas.

“C’mon,” Zayn whispered, taking Louis by the hand. He nodded with determination, falling in step with Zayn as they made their way through to the food line. His appetite was all but forgotten as his stomach twisted, but he picked out a few things to nibble on. “That’s all you’re getting?”

Louis nodded silently, not wanting to explain that he’d just throw it up if he ate a heavy meal while he felt unsettled. His friend didn’t push it, and he realized quickly it was probably because he understood. It was somewhat of an omega thing, getting worked up like this. Granted, he tended to get worked up more often than the average omega…but still. Surely the stress he’d been under these last couple days made it okay to be nearing his limit now.

“How about over there?” Zayn said, nodding toward a relatively empty table. Louis made a noise of approval _,_ and they went right over and sat down. “Is being here too much?”

“Kind of,” he admitted, braving a glance around. “I can smell _everyone._ ”

“Is it bad?”

Louis shrugged, not entirely sure of his answer. Everyone had their own unique smell, but he wasn’t close enough to any one particular person to tell theirs apart. With so many people gathered in one room, it was all mingling in the weirdest way. The omegas scent in the air was subtle and safe, while the alpha scent was overpowering—there was definitely something intoxicating about it. How was he ever supposed to get used to this? It wasn't  _bad_ , but it was so much all at once.

“It’s actually kind of nice,” he decided, meeting Zayn’s surprised eyes.

“What’s with the tiny salad then?”

He glanced at his plate, and then at Zayn’s. No doubt his friend’s pizza looked a lot better than his salad and fruit cup. The greasy food would be a lot harder on his stomach right now though, even if he’d prefer it.

“Just nerves, I think,” he said slowly. “I’m kind of home sick. Wish my stepdad was here.”

“Is he the alpha in your family?”

Louis nodded. “Yeah. Me mum’s great, but even she has a hard time getting me to eat properly when I feel like this.”

“We’re omegas. We’re supposed to need alphas.”

“I know. Doesn’t make it any easier though—I’d much rather have your lunch.”

Zayn looked sympathetic, but it didn’t stop him from munching down on his pizza. “Someone’s coming this way.”

“Alpha?” Louis asked, the color draining from his face.

“Yeah,” Zayn said, eyes falling to his plate as Louis detected a more potent smell in the air.

Definitely close.

He flinched as a hand landed on his back, biting his tongue instead of snapping at this stranger for touching him. Normally he wouldn't hesitate, but it was his first real day as a presented omega. His instincts were warning him not to talk back, and he decided not to fight them just yet.

“I haven’t seen you around before, are you new?” the alpha asked, removing his hand as he took a seat by Louis’ side.

His stomach twisted again, heart pounding anxiously. What Niall said did have some truth to it, apparently. There was something uncomfortable about being near this alpha, yet he felt drawn in at the same time. Not to the extent he had felt with Harry, but it was still noticeable—distracting enough that he almost forgot the alpha was still waiting for an answer. “Um, yeah. We’re both new.”

The alpha didn’t look away or acknowledge Zayn, his eyes locked on Louis. “What’s your name, then?” He scooted further down the bench as the alpha scooted closer, trying to make it subtle. Judging by the way the alpha cocked a brow, it didn’t go unnoticed. “I asked you a question.”

“Louis. My name’s Louis. This is my friend, Zayn,” he said, gesturing to his roommate. Zayn was glaring at the alpha, but it went ignored since the alpha seemed intent on fixing Louis with all his attention.

“You smell nice. Fresh.”

Louis’ jaw dropped as the alpha leaned in closer, nose nearing his neck. “Back off!” he exclaimed, pushing the older student away. There was a new voice in his head scolding him for treating an alpha that way, but he ignored it, not caring anymore.

“Easy, princess. I didn’t mean any harm,” the alpha said, _almost_ sounding sincere. “I’ve never smelled anything like you before. Maybe we’re soulmates?”

He rolled his eyes, but not before glaring pointedly as he met the alpha’s eyes for the first time. “My soulmate knows a thing or two about respect. Now would you please get out of my personal space?”

“I don’t see a mark on your neck,” the alpha observed, smirking. “I might not be your soulmate, but you’ve yet to be claimed by yours. I could show you the ropes—teach _you_ a thing or two about respect.”

“He told you to back off!” Zayn exclaimed, eyes shooting daggers at the alpha.

“Oi, Davis! Leave my omegas alone!”

Louis sighed in relief, not needing to spin around to know it was Niall’s voice ringing out loudly. It had drawn attention from nearby tables, and he found himself shrinking down instinctively. So much for acting like they didn’t know each other.

“Your omegas?” the alpha asked, scoffing. “Just because you’re buddies with everyone’s omegas doesn’t make them all yours, Horan. They can decide for themselves who they want to spend time with.”

“They’re first years, you twat. Go hit on someone else,” Niall demanded, and wow…His glare was hard enough to cause Louis to cower a bit. If he didn’t already know Niall was an omega, he never would've guessed it after seeing that expression on his face. It was almost bizarre to think this was the same bright, friendly young man they'd met earlier.

The alpha, Davis, seemed just as taken aback. “First years? But he—”

“Doesn’t change the facts,” Niall snapped, his words getting the alpha to get to his feet. Davis walked away without so much as an apology, and Niall quickly took his place at the table. “Forgot to warn you, since it’s rare for omegas to present early, people're going to assume you’re older.”

It made sense, but Louis still frowned. “Do I _look_ older?”

“No, but it’s more common to look younger than it is to present early. Don’t be afraid to tell people you’re a first year—even alphas like Davis will back off if they know,” Niall told him with a small smile.

 _Oh._ That entire uncomfortable situation could’ve been avoided if he’d just spoken up sooner…

“Hey, it’s not your fault he hits on everything that smells omega,” the older omega said, grabbing Louis’ hand as he balled it into a tight fist. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” Louis asked, openly confused.

Niall gestured toward his hand. “Punish yourself.”

“ _What?_ I wasn’t—”

“Not consciously. It’s a thing we do when we think we screwed up. Me too,” Niall told him, opening his own palm to show Louis and Zayn. There were faint marks on the fleshy part of his palm from what looked to be fingernails digging in. It wasn’t terrible, but clearly it had been worse before it healed up like this.

“You did that to yourself?” Zayn asked, looking floored.

“It’s a bad habit. Usually you don’t even realize you’re doing it,” he explained slowly. “You’ll ball your hands into fists, and your nails will just dig in. Just try to be aware of it.”

Louis’ hands went lax at that, and he didn’t know _what_ to think. Was that what he’d been about to do, really? A shudder tore through him before he could think on it further, derailing his entire train of thought.

“He’s here,” Louis whispered, looking from Niall to Zayn with widening eyes. “Harry.”

Niall looked around the room before arching a brow. “Why do you think that?”

There weren’t words to describe the feeling that was gripping his body, so he shook his head helplessly instead. “I just know. I can feel it.”

“Can you smell him?”

Louis took in a long breath, picking up on all the same thing as before—the mingled scents of dozens of alphas an omegas, Davis whose scent still lingered in his personal space, Niall who smelled pleasantly sweet…Maybe he was imagining it, but he swore he could pick out Harry’s rich musk in addition to all that.

“Yeah,” he said, growing surer with every breath. Harry was getting closer. He wanted to spin around and spot the alpha himself, maybe run up to him and jump into his arms…That wasn’t an option though. It took every fiber of his being to sit in place, hoping to prove a point to his omega friends. “I’m right, aren’t I? He’s here.”

“He’d barely walked in the room when you said it,” Niall told him, studying Louis carefully.

“He was coming this way, but now he’s not.”

Zayn’s eyes flicked up before meeting Louis’ again. “Maybe we should leave.”

“You don’t think I should talk to him? I could thank him at least, for what he did.” _And look him in the eyes to get an answer, once and for all._ He kept that bit to himself, but it seemed like they knew exactly what he was thinking.

“He’s with that girl,” Zayn said softly, looking concerned as Louis’ expression fell. “I’m sorry.”

“Did it feel similar with Davis?” Niall asked curiously.

“No. I mean, he smelled kind of nice, but that was it,” Louis tried explain. “Every time he tried to get closer, I just wanted to get away. I couldn’t even tell you if he’s in the room still, or if he left.”

But he could tell that Harry had decided to take the long way around to get to the food line, and that was before the alpha was even in his line of sight. His heart plummeted as he saw Harry now...

He wasn’t just _with_ the girl from before—they were holding hands, and she was giggling as she leaned into him. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he was smiling down at her in return. It looked like so much more than a casual fling.

“I thought he didn’t have a girlfriend.”

Niall seemed just as baffled. “I didn’t think he did. I’m gonna make the rounds—see what the word is around the cafeteria. I’ll let you know what I find out tonight, okay?”

Zayn and Louis murmured in agreement before their friend left, leaving them to pick at their meals. If he’d had a small appetite before, it was entirely gone now. He finished his fruit at least, trying not to look too glum as Zayn eyed him periodically.

“Do you think he feels it too?” Louis asked tentatively.

“I don’t know. Everything I’ve heard about soul mates is about what happens after eye contact, not before.”

“But if he is…then he _must_ feel it too, right?”

“I don’t know,” Zayn said again, just as lost. “It’d make more sense if he did.”

But it wouldn’t make sense for him to be so happy with someone else if he felt it. Louis kept that to himself, knowing Zayn was already thinking the same thing. He resigned himself to a half-hearted attempt at eating his salad, giving up entirely when Zayn’s plate was cleared.

“Wanna go play some footie before it’s dark?” Louis asked, not ready to go back to the room and dwell.

Zayn agreed without hesitation, quick to clear their trays from the table. It seemed like he was just as eager to get his roommate away from the cafeteria—away from the source of all his confusion. He didn’t think twice before interlocking their fingers again, finding the small gesture comforting as they made their way to the exit.

If Louis stole an unreturned glance over at Harry on the way out, well…no one needed to know.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the support <3

At first the rumors were offensive, bringing a fierce shade of red out on Louis’ cheek every time he heard them.

_That’s the omega who had an early heat. I heard a teacher found him._

Quickly that turned into, _I heard a teacher took care of it._ And then, _I heard a teacher's his soulmate, but they couldn’t bond because that’s not appropriate._ That left him known among his peers as _Louis, first year omega reject._

There were a few other variations, but after hearing the second or third, he did his best to stop letting it bother him. Where did they even come up with this stuff? As far as he knew, all the teachers were mated—it was a requirement to teach at an Alpha/Omega specialty school. It went ignored every time he brought that up, so he'd stopped trying.

Instead he just said his hormone levels were high if anyone happened to ask him.

And, okay, maybe that wasn’t true either. His mum had called back, and there was nothing in his lab work to indicate he was medically expected to have an early heat. No one aside from Zayn and Niall needed to know the truth though. They were as sympathetic as ever, defending him at every chance before privately reminding him that none of it was true. That they were on his side no matter what. As sweet as it was, their reassurances only helped so much. It was best to focus on other things entirely, he’d realized.

Luckily, his friends were just as happy to help with that.

“I can’t believe you got away with it!” Niall exclaimed, high fiving both his suitemates as they entered the common room.

Zayn and Louis exchanged a smirk. “Lou was brilliant.”

“ _Me?_ You were the one who got in,” Louis reminded him, proud of his friend.

“Yeah, but if you hadn’t distracted them, I never would’ve slipped by.”

Niall just laughed, glancing between the two happily. “Just give it a day. I’ll have alphas accusing me in no time.”

Pranks were more fun than Louis had anticipated, and did wonders at keeping his mind off the rumors. And off Harry, but that was another story.

A week of classes had come and gone, and that marked the start of the annual alpha versus omega prank war. He and Zayn were the only first years invited onto the omega team, joining the older students in a top secret meeting where they bounced ideas off one another. Apparently it was something they’d do periodically as the year went on, always trying to out due their opponents. It was a small, but friendly group, and Niall had made sure they were welcomed with open arms.

They ended up volunteering for two pranks as a test run, and had already completed their second.

“Did you dump in the whole bottle?” Louis asked, stifling a laugh as Zayn nodded.

An entire bottle of scent neutralizing spray, dumped right into the alpha’s communal laundry detergent. Courtesy of the school nurse, gifting Louis with the spray ‘just in case’ he needed it. Most students did their laundry over the weekend, which meant there would be a lot of odd smelling alphas by Monday. He could barely wait! It wouldn’t totally neutralize any of their scents since it was intended to be sprayed on, but it would definitely make them all far less alluring to the omegas on campus.

“It’d be a lot more fun if I could smell the difference,” Zayn griped, though it didn’t sound like a real complaint.

Niall snorted. “Trust me, you’re not missing out. Did you run the decoy plan again?”

“Yep," Louis confirmed with a grin. "It’s a bit odd how they’re so curious about me. I don’t think everyone’s put my face to all the rumors yet.”

Because it was mostly first years saying those things about him. The nurse had been right when she warned him that his classmates wouldn’t understand, instead seeing him as an anomaly. Upper classmen didn’t care nearly as much, most assuming he was secretly older than he looked. Those were the types of alphas who let him into their dorm building with Zayn, flirting with him while his scentless roommate wandered off. He’d chatted a bit until his friend reappeared by his side, and that was his cue to mention he was just a first year.

So far only one alpha hadn’t seemed bothered by that fact, which had been a bit creepy. The rest were surprised, but generally still interested in talking to him—just without the flirting. He wouldn’t call any of them friends yet, but it was nice to have a couple alpha acquaintances.

Assuming they didn’t figure out what he and Zayn had really been up to.

“Those rumors will go away soon enough,” Niall told him, slinging an arm around his shoulder. “First years just don’t have anything better to talk about. Gets more interesting second year when more people start presenting.”

“What about the other rumors, then?” he asked, looking up curiously.

Niall had a knack for knowing what was going on around campus, having friends in every click around. Especially the omegas. It was almost like he was legendary among them—everyone wanted to know Niall. Who could resist someone so fun and bubbly? No one, that’s who. And they were all happy to spill the latest gossip to their favorite omega.

“Which ones?”

They both knew exactly what he meant, but Louis answered anyway, “The ones about Harry.”

Harry who had a girlfriend, it turned out. It hadn’t taken long for Niall to confirm that fact the day he’d promised to ask around the cafeteria, but that was old news now. She’d been wearing a scarf around every day since, which had stirred up another set of rumors.

“I haven’t heard it from either of them,” Niall said slowly, “but one of her friends is in my history class. Says they’re bonded—the scarf is to cover the mark.”

“Why cover it?” Louis wondered aloud. If he were bonded, he’d wear his mating mark with pride, especially if he was with Harry.

“That’s why I’m not convinced it’s true,” the Irishman admitted. “But she’s the first person he’s gotten serious with since he’s been here, so who knows?”

He scoffed. Not that he was bitter or anything, but really? “A two week relationship’s not serious. Not unless that mark’s really there.”

“You should talk to him,” Zayn said, which was _really_ weird. He’d started keeping his Harry thoughts to himself after those first couple days, mostly because his friends were so weary of the subject. “Just go thank him, like you wanted to before. It’ll be good closure if they're really bonded."

“And if they're not?"

His partner in crime shrugged noncommittally. “We’ll figure out a way to get some straightening product into his shampoo.”

“Something tells me the decoy plan won’t work on him.”

“It won’t. He invented the decoy plan,” Niall reminded them.

“I’m going to go find him,” Louis decided, taking a long breath. Maybe it was the high he was still riding from a successful prank, or maybe it was just Niall’s confidence and Zayn’s calm rubbing off on him. Either way, he was sure he could do this. No big deal. “Right now. I’ll be back in a bit.”

He stepped out of Niall’s arm, headed out the door with purpose. “Do you want us to come with you?”

“Thanks, but I need to do this one alone,” Louis called back, not stopping to consider it further.

If he hesitated now, he’d think too much and change his mind. It was better this way, flying down the stairs and hurrying out the door. The real question was, where would he find Harry? They only seemed to be in the same area during meal hours, and even then the alpha wouldn’t get within twenty feet of Louis.

It was a bit early for dinner, but it wasn’t a bad place to start. There were really only so many places to be on a campus like this when classes were done for the weekend. Any parties wouldn’t be starting for a couple more hours, and Louis wasn’t interested in attending any of those (let alone trying to hold a private conversation with someone during one).

“You look lost, princess.”

He cringed as the familiar scent of his least favorite alpha hit his nose. “Do you just lurk in the bushes by the omega dorms? Because that’s a bit weird, really.”

Davis’ amused stare hardened in an instant. “Two weeks and you still haven’t learned anything about respect.”

“Three years here, and you still haven’t learned not to touch people without permission,” Louis shot back, whacking the alpha’s hand away.

Unfortunately, he’d run into Davis _a lot_ since that first day. The blatant flirting had stopped, but the looks didn’t. The alpha had a thing about touching him, too—sometimes a pat on the back, sometimes a hand on his forearm. Louis had already tried the polite route, but that clearly wasn’t getting him anywhere.

“I’ve seen you working your way through those other alphas,” Davis said, almost too conversationally.

“I’m not working my way through anything. Just making new friends.”

“Right, _friends._ Except I know those alphas, and they’re not interested in first year _friends.”_

“Coulda fooled me. They didn’t have a problem talking to me and my roommate.”

“Are you coming to the party tonight? Aaron must’ve invited you earlier.”

Louis arched a brow. “He did, but I have plans. I already told him that. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

He turned on his heel, making a quick step away—but he didn’t make it far.

“Stop,” Davis demanded, quiet but harsh.

It was an alpha command, and it tore at Louis as he flinched and took an additional step forward—one strictly to show he wouldn’t be obeying.

“If you ever try that on me again, we’re going to have a serious problem,” Louis warned, glaring over his shoulder.

He made a conscious effort to ignore the annoyed growl as he kept walking, pulling out his phone to shoot Niall a text. Suddenly he regretted coming outside alone. Most of the alphas around campus were actually nicer than he’d expected, but during his very first lesson, his teacher had suggested omegas always stick with a friend. The notion had sounded so offensive at first, but now? It made a lot more sense.

_Davis just used an alpha command on me_

Not two seconds later, he had a response, _wtf? where are you??_

_Almost at the cafeteria, can you meet me?_

His purpose was forgotten, instead headed that way because lots of people would be there—witnesses, should he need them. Worst case scenario, he could sit there and wait for his friends to accompany him back to the dorms. He couldn’t get inside fast enough, pacing in the entryway in a futile attempt to calm down.

His whole body was trembling, he realized. He couldn’t work out what he was supposed to feel—if he was angry or scared. He didn’t know what to do about the voice in his head either, scolding him for ignoring such a strong command. So he kept pacing, waiting for Niall to tell him. Waiting for Zayn to calm him down. God, he was such a useless friend compared to them. They put up with all his nonsense, but what did he do for them? Nothing.

“Louis?”

The omega gasped, noticing far too late that the tingling mixed in with everything else wasn’t just another wave of confusion. It was Harry—it was what he felt whenever Harry was nearby. His eyes snapped up, only to find that this alpha was still intent on not meeting his gaze. Hanging off his arm was _her._ The girlfriend he’d purposefully learned nothing about.

“What’s wrong?” the alpha asked, stepping in closer. Louis took a step back, shaking his head when his words failed him. “I can feel it rolling off you—you’re terrified.”

“He’s shaking,” the girl noted, not sounding nearly as concerned.

A very angry Irish omega burst in the door before either could press, Zayn on his heel. “Where is he? I’ll kill him,” Niall declared, but not before Zayn was pulling Louis in for a comforting hug.

“Kill who?” Harry demanded, the annoyed edge in his tone causing Louis to whimper into Zayn’s chest.

“Davis. That twat used an alpha command Louis, and—”

“He _what?”_

“Harry, I think they’ve got it under control. It’s none of our business,” the girl whispered rather loudly.

“I’m the only alpha here. That makes it my business,” Harry said, as if that made perfect sense. He stepped in closer again. “Come here, Lou.”

“Harry!” His girlfriend sounded incredulous as Zayn passed the mess of an omega to Harry. Louis tried to ignore it, focusing instead on how _good_ it felt to be in Harry’s arms again. How _right_ they felt together. For just a minute, he tried to pretend there was no omega girlfriend—that he had every right to nuzzle in as close as he wanted. When the tall alpha leaned down, guiding Louis’ nose to his neck, he knew he wasn’t the only one. “You’re letting him _scent_ you?”

Harry didn’t answer, tightening his hold around the smaller boy almost possessively. “Are you okay, Lou?”

“’m fine,” he responded, so quietly that Harry was probably the only one who heard.

“What happened?”

“Was looking for you.”

The alpha stiffened around him. “For me?”

“Wanted to say thanks for…you know. Would’ve said it sooner, but it was embarrassing.”

“It’s not embarrassing,” Harry told him firmly. “Heats are natural. Beautiful, even.”

Louis smiled at his word choice. What a strange alpha. He found himself melting into his chest, growing calmer by the second. “Well, thanks anyway.”

“You’re welcome. What does this have to do with Davis?”

“Ran into him on the way,” he explained, taking another long breath.

“I’ve seen you talking to him. You’re not friends?”

“No. He creeps me out—always staring and trying to touch me. I was short with him. Lost my temper a bit. Then I tried to walk away, but he told me to stop.”

“With his voice?”

Louis shuddered uncomfortably at the thought. “Yeah.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“Didn’t give him a chance. Told him not to try that again, then I came here. Figured he wouldn’t follow me to a crowded place.”

“You walked away from an alpha command?”

“Does that make me bad?” Louis whispered, heart pounding anxiously.

“No. You’re good, Lou. So good. You’re not bound to obey any alpha other than your mate. With anyone else, it’s all about trust. Never feel bad for fighting a command from someone you don’t trust.”

He felt the remainder of his uncertainty fading, growing more confident in what he’d done. The only alpha who mattered didn’t think he was bad, and that was good enough for him. “Are you this nice to everyone?”

“Not like this.”

He buried his smile into Harry’s neck, already having forgotten that they weren’t alone. Even the high pitched _I think he feels better_ didn’t snap him out of it, too genuinely happy to care. No doubt he'd stay in Harry's arms all day if he could.

“What’s your name?” the alpha asked after a minute, effectively bursting his bubble.

“Zayn.”

“Can you take him, Zayn? He’s fine now, just get him some food and bring him back to your room.”

Louis made a noise of protest as he was handed off to Zayn, refusing to be shifted into another hug. There was no way it would suffice after he’d been encompassed by Harry’s warmth. He stood by his friend’s side instead, watching helplessly as Harry pulled Niall aside for a hushed conversation. They were both animated, faces serious as they gestured wildly. The girlfriend joined them, much less interested in whatever was happening.

And then the couple walked out, Niall looking at Louis and Zayn with a tight lipped smile. “We’re gonna take care Davis. I’ll see you guys tonight.”

“Take care of?” Louis asked slowly.

“Well, Harry is. I’m just going along. This isn’t the kind of school where alphas get away throwing their voices around.”

“So, what? You’re going to beat him up or something?”

“I doubt it’ll come to that. I’ve gotta run—he’s bringing Jess back to the dorms first. Be in the common room in an hour, okay? Just get a snack, I’m bringing something special back for dinner.”

Niall was out the door before he or Zayn could comment, leaving them dumbfounded as they eyed one another.

Harry hadn’t even said goodbye.

“He’s your soulmate,” Zayn said, like he was truly accepting it for the first time.

Part of him wanted to ask why his friend was so sure now, but he couldn’t bring himself to question it. “Yeah, he is.”

“Let’s get a snack, then head back. Maybe we can work on our essays?”

Louis nodded, thinking for maybe the first time ever that homework sounded like a great idea.

He and Zayn shared several classes, including omega health. They had an essay due the following week, but Louis hadn’t even picked his topic yet. He’d been leaning toward something to help dispel some of the rumors, like causes for early presentation (since their essays would be discussed during class), but now?

“I think I want to look into alpha commands,” he decided, following Zayn to the food line. Namely, the impact of ignoring them. If ignoring a command from someone he didn’t even like had affected him so much, he couldn’t imagine what would happen if he and Davis had actually been friends. Harry mentioned trust, but what if the trust was misplaced? It was scary to think about. Clearly he had a lot to learn about being an omega. “Did you pick a topic?”

“Self-punishment,” Zayn revealed, grabbing a small to-go container.

“That’s a good one.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it since Niall showed us that one time.”

Louis nodded in understanding. It had definitely struck a nerve in Zayn, finding out that self-punishment was a thing. The omegas he’d known growing up were all mated, so they had an alpha to take care of their needs—whether that meant handling a punishment, or telling them they’d done nothing wrong. Zayn wasn’t hoping to find his mate until later in life though, which left him concerned.

“You know, if Harry hadn’t shown up, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

“You think you would’ve hurt yourself?”

“If I calmed down enough, maybe. Going against that command…” He shook his head, grabbing an extra bag of crisps. “Part of me was angry, but it still felt wrong. Like I misbehaved or something.”

“Yeah, but you heard Harry. You’re not meant to obey alphas you don’t trust.”

“It makes sense when you guys say it, but it’s harder to think like that in the moment,” he admitted.

The thing was, instincts seemed to override most rational thought. He was stubborn enough to fight a bad command regardless, but that didn’t mean it didn’t eat at him. All he could do was hope it would get better in time since he was still new to this whole omega thing.

“I’m sorry about all this,” Louis said, after they’d grabbed a sufficient amount of junk food. Since Harry had intervened, he was actually feeling quite good—well enough to eat whatever the hell he wanted for a change. “I feel like every time we’re having a fun day, something like this happens. I’m always ruining things.”

“You don’t ruin anything. We’re omega soulmates, remember? In a couple years, you’ll be the one helping me through all this stuff. Plus, I don’t know about you, but I’m still having fun.”

“I will be once we’re back in our room.”

“Curious what Niall’s bringing?”

“Me mum sent me a package, too,” Louis said with a faint smile. “I haven’t opened it, but I’ve a feeling there’s a film or two inside. Maybe the essays can wait?”

“Good plan. We’ll work on them in the library tomorrow.”

Louis’ smile grew into something more genuine as they made their way out of the building, pulling his phone out from his back pocket as it vibrated.

_He won’t bother you again x_

“Zayn!” It was an unknown number, but the message had his heart racing. He showed it to his friend, who immediately looked relieved. “It has to be Harry, right?”

His roommate nodded thoughtfully. “Niall must’ve given him your number.”

That made sense. Had Harry asked for it, or did Niall offer it up freely? The idea that Harry may have asked…that Harry _wanted_ to talk to him? It was beyond appealing. He’d have to get all the details from Niall as soon as the older omega returned.

In the meantime, he started typing out a quick thank you, debating the use of x’s or smileys. Just because they were soulmates didn’t mean he wanted to sound too eager or clingy. Before he could decide, he received a second message from the same unknown number. And then a third, and fourth. All in quick succession.

_Let me know if any other alphas bother you._

_You should really be on suppressants until you’re 16_

_The nurse can get you some_

And that wiped the smile right off his face. It was incredible how Harry had the power to do that to him—to make him smile so brightly, and to do the opposite just as quickly. A single word or glance was enough, and the lack of either was just as effective.

“What’s wrong, Lou?”

“I can’t decide if he’s really nice, or really an ass,” Louis responded, shaking his head pathetically.

“Maybe he’s both,” Zayn shrugged. “Everyone can be an ass sometimes, right?”

“I guess,” he admitted begrudgingly.

“What matters is how much of an ass he is. What’d he say?”

Louis handed his roommate the phone as it buzzed again, not sure if he could handle reading whatever the next message was. “I don’t believe in hiding what I am.”

“You wouldn’t be. Our uniforms are color coded, Lou. Everyone _knows_ we’re omegas,” Zayn reminded pointedly. “Suppressants or not, you’re not hiding.”

Louis scoffed, snatching his phone back as they exited the building. He was feeling _just_ incredulous enough to send an irritated reply.

_Change your mind about heats being beautiful?_

“I’m not interested in suppressants,” he added, for Zayn’s benefit. “It’s important to me that I embrace who I am, you know?”

“A couple years on suppressants won’t matter much in the long run, but it’s your choice. Either way I don’t think he’s being an ass. He’s just trying to protect you.”

“Funny way of showing it,” Louis grumbled, though he couldn’t quite deny it.

Harry had calmed him down, told him to get something to eat, taken care of Davis, offered to do the same if other alphas bugged him…All the sorts of things an omega would want from their alpha. But he still wanted to scream at the alpha because it just wasn’t fair.

They were _soulmates._ If they hadn’t met, he never would’ve gone into heat, and he never would’ve needed Harry’s help in the first place. If they’d bonded like soulmates were supposed to, he’d be marked and not have to worry about suppressants or other alphas.

Was that why Harry helped in the first place? Because all this was his own fault? Louis felt his heart breaking all over again. None of this actually meant Harry _cared_. If it meant something, then he wouldn’t waste time with another omega. This was probably just his way of cleaning up the mess he’d created without ever having to look Louis in the eyes.

Reject omega. Maybe everyone was right.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thank you all again! It's probably getting redundant, but I mean it - I really appreciate all the support!

The funny thing about Harry having his number was, it only seemed to work one way. He never replied when _Louis_ sent him messages, even if it was in response to something Harry had sent first. In a way, Harry’s lack of response was a message in itself.

They weren’t friends. No, they were acquaintances, and Harry just wanted to check up on him periodically. Or check up on some things at least—how classes were going, if anyone was bothering him…Always general subjects rather than anything too personal. Those texts were few and far between, too. There was only one thing Harry inquired about on a daily basis, and it was even more of a disappointment.

_When are you eating?_

At first, Louis was excited by the question—by the implication that Harry actually wanted to see him. It only took a week or so for Louis to figure out what was really happening. Harry would ask, but then never show up in the cafeteria during the times Louis provided. After a few days too many, it became perfectly clear that it wasn't a matter of clashing schedules.

It was deliberate. Harry wasn’t asking because he wanted to see Louis, he was asking because he _didn’t_ want to see Louis. And Louis responded every single time, three times a day without fail. Even when he understood the purpose of the question, and even when it became the most painful part of his day.

“Stop answering him,” Zayn suggested, like it was so simple.

He frowned at the very thought. “But what if he gets mad?”

Because as upset as Louis was, and as much as he felt he had the right to be annoyed, something inside him couldn’t cope with the thought of displeasing Harry. Things were bad enough without him giving his soulmate a legitimate reason to dislike him. He definitely didn't like it when Harry ignored  _him._

“You’re the one who should be mad, Lou.”

“I _am_ mad,” he admitted, so quiet that it didn’t quite sound sincere.

“You want to be mad. There’s a difference,” his roommate told him, folding his arms across his chest. “He asks for your schedule, then avoids you in the halls. He asks when you’re eating, then avoids going to the cafe. You ask him the same questions, he ignores you. The guy’s a jerk, Lou.”

“He’s a jerk,” Niall chimed in, quick to agree as he entered their common area.

“You don’t even know what we’re talking about,” Louis grumbled, pivoting on the couch to face him.

“What else would you be talking about?” the Irishman countered, snorting. “Harry’s the only thing that gets you moody like this.”

“You told me he was a nice guy.”

“He is. Or, he was,” Niall explained helplessly. “He’s just not with you, and I wish I had an explanation. I asked, but he won’t tell me. Says it's none of my business.”

Louis humphed at that, his phone vibrating right on cue. Sure enough, his evening _when are you eating?_ had hit his inbox.

“Don’t,” Zayn repeated, eyeing imploring Louis to listen.

“I can’t just ignore him. He’s my soulmate!”

“Right now he’s nothing,” Niall responded, moving toward the couch and snatching the phone from Louis’ hand. “Tomorrow he’ll be a fake blond though.”

Zayn and Louis both gasped as they processed Niall’s words, Zayn jumping on them first, “You pulled it off?”

Niall grinned widely. “I told you I’m a legend.”

“How’d you get into his bathroom?”

“Uh, long story,” Niall replied, nonchalant as he pocketed Louis’ phone. He pulled out his own a moment later. “I’m gonna tell him to stop messaging you.”

“Don’t,” Louis pleaded, making a poor attempt at taking the phone from Niall’s hands. No such luck. He jumped off the couch, ready to chase his friend around the common area if he had to. “Seriously. If anyone’s going to tell him to stop, it’s me.”

“If you tell him to stop asking, I won’t interfere,” Niall conceded, clearly reluctant to hand the younger omega his phone back. “If you don’t, I’m done. I don’t let _any_ alpha get away with treating _any_ omega this way. You especially. This’s been going on too long now.”

He smiled a bit at that, glad to know at least someone cared. Niall and Zayn were really his saviors, time and time again. They kept him focused on schoolwork when he needed to be, and distracted with games and pranks when that was done.  Actually, all Harry issues aside, he was having a great year so far thanks to these two.

The problem was, the Harry issues were so damn persistent.

“Oh!” Louis gasped, his phone vibrating again. This time it was nonstop—an incoming call rather than text. His heart rate was just as erratic as the buzzing as he read the name on the phone screen. “He’s calling me!”

“Want me to answer?” Niall offered, half joking.

“No, I…I’ve got this,” he said, moving into his personal room before either of them could protest. “Um. Hi?”

“Lou?” He recognized Harry’s gravelly voice right away, warming him to the core. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Louis responded, suddenly very confused.

He was sure he heard a sigh of relief. “You didn’t respond to my message, so I wasn’t sure.”

“You just sent it a few minutes ago.”

“Yeah, but you always respond right away at night.”

Always...Had this really been going on long enough for Harry to make observations like that? “I’m not just sitting around waiting for you to text me. I have friends, you know.”

“I know you do, and that’s fine. I just really need to know when you’re eating.”

For a moment he debated just answering, but he knew the moment he did, the conversation would be over. This was probably his only chance to get an explanation. “Is it really that important for you to avoid me?”

“I’m not avoiding you.”

He snorted. “I’m not stupid, Harry. You’ve been asking me three times a day for weeks now, and I’ve yet to see you once.”

“It’s not like that,” Harry insisted firmly.

“Then what’s it like?” Louis retorted, his voice loud enough that he heard Zayn and Niall cheering him on from the next room. It made him feel better momentarily, until there was no response at all to his bold question. “If you can’t answer me, I’m not going to answer you.”

There was another long pause. “My girlfriend doesn’t want me around you.”

“You’re an alpha. You really expect me to believe that’s the only reason?”

“When are you eating, Lou?” Harry asked again, annoyed this time.

Louis let out a disgruntled whine, ready to pull his hair out in frustration. “I’m not, okay? I haven’t been. That’s not what you’re asking though, is it? You can avoid the cafeteria at 6. I won’t be there long.”

He hung up his phone before he could even think about the consequences, flopping onto his bed. His mind was already screaming at him, _bad, bad, bad..._

“Louis, open the door,” Niall called to him, knocking loudly.

His arms wrapped his arms around himself, curling up as tight as he could. He’d talked back to Harry—to his alpha. His soulmate. And then he’d hung up on him. His roommates were banging on his door, but it was all background noise to his inner omega, taunting him as he curled his fingers into his sides.

“Louis, c’mon!” It was Zayn this time, but he didn’t care. Couldn’t care. His fingernails were digging in, dragging along his sensitive skin. When that wasn’t enough, he pushed his shirt up, hoping it’d feel sharper against his bare skin. “You may as well just open up, Niall’s picking the lock anyway.”

All he could do was choke back a sob in response. _Bad, bad, bad…_

“Lou, stop it!” Before he could process the demand, he was being pulled into an upright position and tugged into Niall’s lap. The elder omega held his hands, whispering soft words that all went unheard. “Shh, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

“It’s not,” Louis murmured, shaking his head into Niall’s chest. “I’m not okay. I’m bad…”

He broke down, vaguely registering Zayn leaving the room and returning with something to clean the tiny cuts he’d created along his soft sides. Whatever his roommate was dabbing on stung, but he didn’t complain—he deserved a lot worse. The little marks he’d made were tiny, and he’d been stopped before they even drew blood.

“I’ll get it,” Niall said, shuffling Louis into Zayn’s arms.

When did Zayn even sit down on the bed? Louis wiped at his eyes, feeling nothing short of pathetic. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Zayn said, his voice firm. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Where’d Niall go?”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Louis frowned, quickly figuring it out for himself. There were voices in the next room—their common area. Someone had come to their door.

“Harry,” he whispered, his body aware of his soulmate’s presence before his mind registered the voice. “I need to—”

“Lou,” Zayn pleaded, squeezing him close instead of letting him go. “Please. Let Niall deal with him, okay?”

“I need to apologize, Zayn. I need to—”

“Shh, let’s just listen for a few, then we can decide. He’s not leaving yet, okay?”

His instincts were telling him _no,_ but he was gaining more and more awareness again. He found himself nodding before walking closer to the door with Zayn. The two men on the other side weren’t holding much back.

“Since when do you live in the same suite?” Harry asked, almost accusatory.

“It’s none of your business,” Niall shot back without hesitation. “Alphas aren’t even allowed in this building. You should leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere until I see him.”

Niall scoffed. “Don’t act like you care.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t care!”

“You’re full of it. You don’t give a damn about him or what’s going on in his life—what he’s going through because he met _you._ You don’t know how hard it’s been!”

“You don’t think this is hard for me?”

“Don’t even compare it! You’re off knotting some bimbo while he’s half starving himself because he can’t stomach anything. All because _you_ can’t just tell him what he did wrong!”

“He didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Maybe you should’ve explained that to him before you started asking his location just to avoid him,” Niall spat, a loud bang following his words. Something had fallen to the floor, or been dropped, or _something._ “You know, I used to think you were different than most the alphas around here. That you were better. I was wrong about you. You’re just as selfish.”

“I’m doing the right thing here, Niall,” Harry insisted, his voice dropping an octave.

“I wouldn’t know since you won’t tell me what’s going on. How’s he supposed to know either?”

“Why do you think I’m here?”

“Because you feel guilty, and you should,” the omega told him, adding a few more hushed words that Louis couldn’t quite make out. “If you just wanted to calm him down, you’re out of luck. We’ve got it under control.”

“I can’t leave without seeing for myself. I need to know he’s alright.”

“If you’re not here to explain yourself, you need to leave,” Niall demanded, a soft thump following his words. “He’s already punished himself. Maybe not seeing him should be _your_ punishment. I don’t care what your inner alpha wants, get out of here before I report you.”

Louis’ mouth was hanging open at Niall’s cold words…Friendly, caring Niall. He’d seen the protective streak in the older omega before, but it never failed to surprise him. Especially now, when he was talking to _Harry._ Niall avoided the subject as much as possible, but Louis knew all too well that they were friends despite all of this.

They continued talking outside the bedroom door, far too quiet now for Louis to overhear. Luckily Zayn had a good hold on him, or he was sure he would've opened the door without a second thought. Instead they waited in silence until he heard the distinct sound of the suite door opening and closing.

“He’s gone,” Niall said, knocking gently on the door to Louis’ room. “Open up and hug me, Lou.”

Zayn laughed a bit, but opened the door and let Louis be pulled into Niall’s arms. Immediately Louis knew why Niall had requested this hug. “You smell like him.”

“Scented him before he left,” the Irishman admitted, holding Louis tighter as he stilled in his arms. “Not in a weird way. He got me worked up, and he knew I was right, so he made sure I calmed down after. We knew it'd help you, too."

That relaxed him a little, and he found himself breathing in every bit of Harry that had rubbed off on his suitemate. “What’d he say before he left?”

“Nothing that he’s not planning on telling you himself.”

Louis pulled back enough to meet Niall’s eyes, confused. “Like what?”

“Like, that he wants you to be healthy and safe,” Niall explained quietly. “He wants you to be happy.”

“Then why—”

“He’ll tell you, Lou. Just not today. If he got to see you right now, it’d be all about him making himself feel better for how he’s acted, and that’s not fair to you.”

Louis furrowed his brows, not sure what to make of that. Alphas weren’t like omegas. Punishments didn’t absolve them of their guilt. They didn’t hang onto their problems the same way omegas did in the first place. The alpha way was to take immediate action, fixing whatever the issue was instead of dwelling on it.

That was probably why Harry had shown up in person. He recognized a problem he’d created, so his instincts were telling him to come calm Louis down to fix it. Or they were telling him to come punish Louis for being such a brat about the whole thing.

He shuddered at the thought, taking in another long breath. Harry’s scent was practically gone already, but it was enough to soothe him. Maybe Niall was right. Maybe Harry _did_ deserve to be forced to deny his instincts.

“I don’t want to see him today,” Louis decided, growing more and more confident as both his suitemates smiled.

“Good. You _do_ have to eat though, okay?”

He hesitated a moment. After all that, he actually was kind of hungry. For the first time since the Davis debacle, he might be able to stomach something he’d actually enjoy. “He won’t be there, will he?”

“Nah, I told him not to show up for the next hour at least,” Niall promised. “He’s gonna stop sending you those messages, too.”

“So he won’t talk to me at all then,” Louis concluded with a frown. Those stupid messages were their only form of contact most days, and as much as it hurt, hearing nothing from Harry would hurt just as badly. “Do you believe he’s my soulmate?”

“He’s definitely your soulmate,” Niall responded, just as firmly as Zayn had been the day he accepted it as true.

“Will you tell me about him? Nice things?”

Zayn and Niall exchanged a look, both skeptical. “Uh…I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“He’s my soulmate. I don’t want to think he’s a jerk. There’s obviously more to him than all this, I mean…he helped me get safe when I was in heat, and he got Davis to leave me alone.”

Niall rolled his eyes. “Davis is more scared of me than Harry.”

“No one’s scared of you, Ni.”

“Course they are. I’m everyone’s favorite omega,” he countered with a winning grin. “No one wants to get on my bad side—alphas especially.”

Louis and Zayn both laughed at that, knowing it was probably true. Niall wasn’t someone he’d typically consider scary,even when he was being protective (that was just plain impressive). He  _did_ have a lot of influence around the school though, among the omegas especially. By default that meant the alphas wanted to stay in his good graces.

“Too bad it doesn't work on Harry," Louis mused, almost whimsically. Yeah, Niall had gotten the alpha to back off for now, but he hadn't succeeded in getting to the bottom of all this despite trying for  _weeks_. All of his influence and connections hadn't helped any more than his friendship with Harry.

“If he was still sleeping around I'd probably have better luck,” Niall admitted, looking unnecessarily apologetic. “Jess isn’t my biggest fan. She'd probably just like him more if I told her that he was a jerk."

“What’s with that?” Zayn asked slowly.

Both Louis' friends turned to him, like they needed permission before continuing with the conversation. It was a bit uncomfortable, but he nodded anyway. He was just as curious as Zayn. There were only a handful of omegas who seemed to outright resent Niall, and it was interesting that Jess was one of them.

“I dated the last alpha she was into.”

Louis deflated. He’d been expecting one of Niall’s flashy stories. “That’s all?”

“As far as I know, yeah. I didn’t even know she liked the guy until after we broke up.”

“That’s a bit much, isn’t it? Especially if she’s moved on.”

Niall just shrugged. “I wish I had a better explanation, but I don’t. The whole thing was really weird.”

What did Harry see in her? Louis had asked himself the same question repeatedly, and had yet to find an answer. It wasn't like he personally knew her, but surely anyone who held a grudge over something so petty wasn't so great. Yet Harry wanted to be with her. What did that say about  _him?_ That his own soulmate would rather be with someone like that?

“This is why I can’t tell you good things about Harry,” Niall stated, shaking his head as Louis snapped back out of his thoughts. “You get so lost every time we talk about any of this. I don’t want you to be down all the time.”

“But—”

“I’ll make you a deal,” the older omega interjected, gaining his full attention. “If we don’t talk about him again until he explains everything to you, I’ll spend a whole day answering any questions you have about him. After that, we’re done talking about him unless there's a good reason—like if something happens and you need to talk about it.”

“What if he never explains anything me?”

Niall paused for a moment, debating with himself. “Okay, I’ll tell you one thing about him now. Harry doesn’t go back on his word,” he said with far too much conviction to doubt. “He told me he’d explain things to you, and I believe him.”

“Did he say when?” Zayn jumped in, not nearly as convinced.

“No, but if he takes too long, I’ll take it up with him. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens tomorrow.”

Louis’ heart jumped at that. “What do I say to him?”

“No,” Niall said instead, shaking his head. “We just made a deal! This is now a Harry free zone. We’re going to forget about him and have an awesome night. There’s an omega only party down the hall later, and I think it’s time you guys were invited.”

“I thought only the alphas threw parties.”

“No, only the alphas throw mixed parties. We’re allowed in their building, but they aren’t allowed in ours,” Niall explained with a grin. “And before you ask, Harry probably had his girlfriend let him in—we’re not gonna talk about that more though. We’re gonna talk about how much fun we’re going to have tonight.”

Zayn and Louis exchanged a look, the unpresented omega giving his nod of approval. “Okay,” Louis agreed, forcing a smile.

His thoughts were still elsewhere, racing at the thought of spending some one on one time with Harry. It wasn’t like he was expected much, but at least he’d get some answers. Then he could drill Niall about everything else. It wasn't such a bad deal, really. He was just as sick of talking about Harry as they were of hearing about him. Between both talks, he’d finally have a grasp on the situation, even if he didn’t like it.

Until then, having some fun couldn't hurt.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, you've all been so lovely <3  
> So, I've been trying to update every weekend when I can, for anyone curious about the updating schedule! The next chapter miiiight be delayed a few days just because I've got a packed week, but I'll try my best.

The next day came and went, and the next day after that. And then again, until more than a full week had gone by. It wasn’t a surprise at all when Harry didn’t call or text.

True to his word, Louis didn’t complain. He didn’t mention it to either of his closest friends, instead putting on a smile and enjoying their time together like they’d agreed. The only times Harry weighed on his mind too much were the moments when he was alone, which seemed to be less and less frequent. If he wasn’t with Zayn or Niall, he was in class or with the handful of other friends he’d managed to make.

Who needed Harry anyway?

Well, he did. He still desperately wanted to talk to his soulmate—to get to the bottom of whatever was keeping them apart. To fix it, so that they could be together. As frustrating as the situation was, they were meant to be together. That meant keeping an open mind when the time came, and allowing Harry to explain himself. That meant getting past all this, no matter how confusing and painful it had become.

But in the meantime, it was nice to keep his head up and act like it didn’t affect him at all. And it was so much easier now that Harry wasn’t messaging him three times a day, rubbing the whole situation in his face. He could actually relax with his friends when he wasn't awaiting some stupid text that would inevitable sour his mood. He could focus more in class too, which was a good thing since each lesson seemed to be filled with more and more relevant information.

“Wait a minute,” Louis grumbled, his hand shooting up as he processed the last bit of information that his teacher had provided. “You’re telling me I won’t grow at all?”

“The day we present is the day we stop growing,” his teacher confirmed, a sympathetic smile on her face. “It’s true for alphas and omegas.”

Louis let out a disgruntled whimper, which only caused his less-than-sympathetic classmates to laugh. It just wasn’t right. He’d always been a bit on the small side, and he knew that being an omega meant it would stay that way. But this was outrageous. Surely he would’ve had a tiny growth spurt before he was 16—if not for Harry walking in and out of his life like the inconsiderate alpha he apparently was.

So much for focusing. All he could think about was his size for the rest of the lesson, and what other surprise issues he might be in for thanks to Harry.

“You okay, Lou?” Zayn asked, appearing in front of his desk the moment their class had ended.

He could hear the other students shuffling out of the room, but all he could do was drop his head onto his desk, heavy with self-pity. “I’m doomed, Zayn!”

“Doomed?”

“Doomed to use a stepping stool whenever I need anything for the rest of my life!” Zayn just laughed, which was enough to get Louis to look up and scowl. “What kind of friend are you? Laughing in my time of need!”

“Oh, come on! This is dramatic even for you.”

“Says the omega who'll probably be able to tip toe up and grab things off the top shelf if he wants!”

His friend rolled his eyes. “We’ll just have to stick together, yeah? Then I can get you whatever you need, no step stool required.”

“You’re a good friend after all,” Louis declared, the grin spreading on his face. It _was_ a bit dramatic, he knew. The height thing wasn’t what was really bothering him though. It was that he was stuck like this for no good reason, which Zayn seemed to understand despite the fact they were actively not talking about it. “By the time we meet your alpha, we won’t even need one anymore.”

That just made Zayn snort. “We don’t need one now either.”

“I guess,” he relented—it was more a matter of want than need.

“Hey, I’ve gotta get to my next class,” his friend told him, which he was already well aware of. Enough time had passed for him to learn the ins and outs of both their schedules. “Meet me in the cafeteria for lunch?”

Louis nodded automatically. “Yeah. See ya.”

“Don’t mope around here for too long,” he added, patting Louis on the shoulder before headed out the door to the classroom.

He let out a long sigh, gathering up his books as he tried to decide what to do next. It was Wednesday, which meant Zayn had an English lesson while he had a free period. There was a test coming up in Omega Health—maybe he could study.

“Hey, Lou.”

The books fell right out of his hand as the voice hit his ears, that same, exhilarating feeling tearing through him as Harry walked into the classroom. What was with this guy? Just when Louis was sure he’d never show up, he waltzes right in like he was expected.

“Why do you do that?” Louis asked, a bit more snappy than intended.

“Do what?”

“Talk to me like you know me. Like we’re friends or something.”

Harry chuckled quietly. “We’re not friends.”

“Exactly!” he exclaimed, picking up his books in a huff. “Do you even realize how confusing you are? Don’t call me _Lou.”_

“Okay. I’m sorry.” And it sounded like he meant it, much to Louis’ surprise. He looked over at the alpha, trying his best to be unaffected by the way Harry’s gaze was fixated elsewhere. “I was hoping we could talk, if you’re free.”

“You know I am,” he responded, just a tad bitter. Harry had asked for his schedule ages ago. “What’d you want to talk about?”

“You already know,” Harry told him flatly, stepping all the way into the room and shutting the door behind him. Then he walked over to the teacher’s desk like he owned the place, sitting in the chair behind it.

“Really? We’re going to talk here?”

“This room’s empty till after lunch,” he answered with a shrug. “If you’d rather go back to my room or something—”

“No!” Louis interjected.

“Then, yeah. We’re going to talk here.”

“Suppose you still don’t plan to look at me,” Louis guessed, setting his books down on his desk. Harry’s nod told him he was correct. “You can start then.”

“Do you know _why_ I won’t look at you?”

He took a deep breath, not willing to let his voice crack. “Because we’re soulmates and you don’t want to be.”

“That’s what you think? Really?”

“Wouldn’t say it otherwise,” he replied defensively.

“Well that’s ridiculous. We _are_ soulmates, and I _do_ want to be.”

“Then why won’t you just look at me?”

Harry let out a ragged sigh. “Will you come here? I don’t want to do this from across the room.”

“It’s even weirder up close,” Louis said slowly. “At least from across the room it’s not so blatant that you’re looking right past me.”

“Please.” The word itself may have been a plea, but the way Harry said it was anything but. It was almost a demand, and he found himself giving in without another thought. Every step had his heart rate spiking, but he tried not to think about it. “Sit with me?”

It was more of a request this time, but the way his body was reacting, it still didn't feel like he had an option. His head was telling him to be annoyed and say no, but the pull was too much—the desire to please too strong. Harry was looking him up and down, eyes never meeting his own as he waited for Louis to cave in. Which he did a moment later, awkwardly allowing himself to be pulled into Harry’s lap…facing away, of course.

And then he was too impossibly comfortable to be mad, Harry's scent washing over him in the most soothing manner.

“This is stupid,” Louis complained, no real heat in his words.

“Yeah, but we can have a normal conversation like this,” Harry countered, warm breath hitting Louis’ ear. “So, we’re soulmates.”

“I think we’ve established that already.”

“Are your parents soulmates?”

Louis frowned, not having expected that question. It wasn’t something he liked to talk about, let alone with someone he barely knew. People tended to look down on him when they found out his biological parents weren’t soulmates even though it wasn’t so uncommon nowadays. Something inside him was insisting Harry wouldn’t be like that though. “My mum met her soulmate a few years after I was born,” he admitted hesitantly.

“So did mine,” Harry revealed, and immediately he found himself relaxing. “My stepdad’s a great guy—really good for my mum. But as happy as she is, she never regretted falling in love before meeting him. She never regretted having me.”

Louis exhaled a shaky breath, not prepared for where this was going. “Is this your way of telling me you’re in love with Jess and planning to have a baby?”

“No,” the alpha said, laughing a little. “Definitely no baby. I don’t love her, and I never could.”

“Then why are you with her?”

He could feel Harry shrugging around him. “She’s fun.”

“…Okay?”

“We’re young, Lou. We’re supposed to spend these years messing around, making mistakes, having fun—that’s how we grow into the people we’ll be when we’re together,” Harry explained, taking his time. “You especially. I know it probably doesn’t feel like it, but you’re still a child.”

“I’m not,” Louis argued, shaking his head adamantly. “I would’ve been, but that all changed when I saw _you._ Now I’m presented, and everyone thinks I’m some sort of reject! And I’m _short!_ I’ll always be this way and it’s all your fault!”

Harry had the nerve to chuckle at his outburst. “This is what I’m talking about. You’re a child.”

“I’m not!”

“You’re throwing a tantrum over nothing. We’re _soulmates,_ Louis. I’m not rejecting you. We’re going to spend our lives together—it’s just not time yet. These next few years are going to be so important. I won’t take that away from you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, these are the years when you get to grow up. Learn all about who you are and how you wanna be. You should be making friends and having fun—not stressing out over me. We’ve got plenty of time to be together later.”

“I don’t see why I can’t do all that _and_ be with you. Something brought us together that day, and every time I’m in the same room as you, I just…” He couldn’t even put the words to it. “You’re the most frustrating person I’ve ever met, but I don’t _want_ to stay away from you.”

“I know. I know exactly what you mean—I feel it too,” Harry assured him, his words gentle. “But I also know you’ll be thanking me in a few years. It’s better this way.”

“For someone who doesn’t even really know me, you sound sure of yourself.”

“I _am_ sure. We’re soulmates. Part of my job is knowing what you need, Louis.”

“How is seeing you happy with other people what I need?”

“The happiest years in my life will be the ones I spend with you,” Harry said simply.

“You’re doing it again—being confusing.”

“What do you think would happen if we bonded right now?” he prompted, a series of images popping into Louis’ mind. They were all happy ones of the two of them together, the way soulmates were supposed to be. “We’d become the center of each other’s worlds. We’d want to spend all our time together. You know what would happen though?”

“What?”

“I’d go off to uni next year,” Harry told him, effectively pausing all of Louis' wishful thinking. “Can you imagine _that?_ It’s nearly impossible for bonded mates to be apart for long periods of time, but that’s how it'd be for us. It’s not like there’s a uni nearby that I could go to, and you’re stuck here through your graduation.”

“We’d figure it out. We’d have to.”

“We’d tough it out and it’d hurt us both every single day. Is that how you want to spend the next few years when we could just wait instead? It’d be so much easier. If you keep fixating on me, you’re going to miss out on so many experiences. It’s better to keep doing all the things you’re doing for now—making friends, pulling pranks. Whatever it is you want.”

“And you could go back to pretending I don’t exist while you’re off with your girlfriend.”

“If she really bothers you, I’ll end it,” Harry said, like it was the simplest thing in the world. “I mean it. I don’t love her, and I couldn’t. Not now that I’ve met you. I could never seriously fall for anyone now that I’ve felt this.”

“But you said…that thing about your mum, you made it sound like that was what you wanted. To fall in love and have a whole separate life.”

“I didn’t mean I wanted to do everything the way she did, I just meant that it’s _okay_ to enjoy life before bonding. Maybe if we’d never met, I might’ve fallen in love—who knows? I wasn’t exactly trying, and now I don’t want to anyway. I already know you’re it for me.”

It was so close to what he wanted to hear, but it was still so unsettling. “Then why bother with her?”

“I thought it’d be better for you if I just had one person instead of doing what I’ve been doing the last couple years,” Harry admitted slowly. “She knows it’s not serious.”

“She wears a scarf, Harry.”

“So?”

“All the omegas think you’re bonded.”

“Well, they’re wrong.”

“So you’re not?”

“I could bite her all day and nothing would happen,” Harry said, not sounding like he particularly cared. “Haven’t you gone over this stuff in class?”

“Not yet,” he admitted, suddenly feeling very silly. No wonder Harry thought he was a child. “But everyone said—”

“They’re wrong,” Harry interjected firmly. “Bonding marks are a soulmate thing, Louis. It’s like a chemical reaction. If I mark anyone else, it’ll heal in a day or two. If I mark you, it’s something else entirely. This connection we have, it’ll be deeper. Permanent. I’ll be able to feel you even when we’re not in the same room.”

Louis nodded as he took that in, though it hardly put him at ease. “What’s with the scarves then?”

“She just likes them. If people are really saying that she’s my soulmate, I can ask her to stop wearing them. It’s an easy way to set the record straight.”

_I’d rather you break up with her,_ he thought, but he held that back. Harry had already said he would if Louis wanted, but he wasn’t sure it would go over well if he actually told him to do that. Not the way this conversation was going anyway. It sounded like Harry just wanted to live his life, and he wanted Louis to do the same. What right did they have to tell each other what to do if that was the case?

“So you’d be perfectly okay with it if _I_ met someone else?” he wondered, though it was nearly impossible to imagine himself doing that while Harry was so incessantly on his mind.

He felt Harry stiffen where he sat. “It’s not that I’d be _okay_ with it. Every instinct in my body is screaming at me to look at you—to mark you and make you mine right now. I don’t want you to be with anyone else,” the alpha said very clearly, his fingers digging into Louis’ hips in the most possessive way. “But that’s not fair, is it? For me to do what I want, and then expect you not to do the same. I’m not a hypocrite, Louis. I don’t like the idea of you being with anyone else, but if it happens, it happens. I’ll still want you when the time comes.”

“And when’s that?”

There was a short pause, like Harry was considering it. “Are you planning on going to uni?”

“Probably,” Louis responded, not having finalized any plans like that yet. It felt like he’d just barely started school _here._ “Why?”

“That’d be the best time. When you graduate from here,” Harry explained slowly. “I’ll be going into my last year, and you’ll be going into your first. If you pick a school near mine, we could figure something out. Start a life together.”

It made sense, but he found his heart sinking as he really thought about it. That was so far away. _Years._ Anything could happen in that amount of time. What if there was another reason not to be together by then? Another girlfriend, or another problem?

“Don’t be sad,” the alpha muttered, rubbing his back in the most calming way. “We have forever, Lou.”

“What if you still don’t want me?”

“I want you, and that’s not going to change. No one else will ever make me feel the way I do right now.”

“That’s just nature though. You might remember all this and change your mind. I’m a child, right?”

“You’ll grow up. Just because it’s nature doesn’t mean it’s not deeper than that. Once we get to know each other, we’re going to love each other more than anything. We wouldn’t be soulmates otherwise. And you know, I’m a big believer in all this soulmate stuff,” Harry revealed, which made him smile a little. It was a bit of a surprise, given the way the alpha was resisting it all so much. “Do you even know how lucky it is that we met now?”

Louis rolled his eyes at that. “How’s it lucky if we’re not doing anything about it?”

“Some people don’t meet their mate till they’re old—till they already have families, or till they’ve already given up. We’ll never have to worry about that or think twice,” Harry said. “We don’t have to wait, _and_ we get to choose when and where we bond. Do you know how many soulmates meet in the street or in the weirdest places? They make eye contact without thinking, and that’s it. That’s their story.”

“You shouldn’t put ideas in my head," he warned, thinking over all the possibilities before he could stop himself. "Now I’ll be expecting something special.”

“Good. I don’t have it planned yet, but whatever it is, it'll definitely be romantic,” Harry promised, and Louis was sure he could hear the smile in the alpha’s voice.

“Right, in some uni dorm room,” he joked, though that was kind of how he’d always imagined it. Most people met their soulmate during their time at university, so it was probably pretty common.

“It'll be somewhere better than that."

“You really mean all this?” Louis asked hesitantly. “It’s not just you trying to get me to leave you alone?”

Harry’s arms wrapped more securely around his waist. “I mean every word.”

He hummed in approval, remembering what Niall had told him—Harry never went back on his word. Just because he was a confusing alpha didn’t mean he was a dishonest one. Plus, if Harry really  _did_ just want to be left alone, a few harsh words would've been a much easier way to ensure that outcome.

“I don’t like it, but I believe you,” Louis decided.

“Good. Do you have any more questions about all this?”

“Um." He shook his head, overwhelmed. There were probably more than a few things he still needed to ask, but it was too much to narrow down on the spot. "Not right now, no."

“I need you to do me a favor then,” Harry said, causing Louis to tense in the alpha's hold. “Nothing bad. I just want you to eat properly. I want you to take care of yourself, always.”

“I usually do. It’s just hard sometimes.”

“I get that now. I should’ve talked to you before staying away, but I thought you understood. I told you that day—you’re too young for all this. I would’ve explained it better if I’d known you were having such a hard time.”

“Do you think we could be friends at least? There’s still a lot of time before you graduate.”

“No,” Harry responded, unapologetic and without hesitation. “You and me, we could never be just friends. It’s too hard to be around you.”

“That’s not fair. You can’t seriously expect to call me up in three years and say you’re ready without talking to me at all in between. I won’t show up if you try that.”

“It’s not about me being ready, it’s about both of us being ready. And I didn’t mean we can’t talk at all. You can come to me when you have a problem, or if you need to talk. I’ll still be here when you need an alpha. We just can’t do _this._ I can’t be around you for long periods of time and not want more.”

Louis grumbled to himself, knowing what that meant. They’d be back to the daily _when are you eating_ texts—back to Harry going out of his way to avoid Louis. As much as what Harry was saying made sense, he really didn’t like any of it.

“Talk to me,” the alpha said. “I know you’re upset, and I don’t want it to get to the point where you break down. Not again. You need to let me know when something’s bothering you.”

“All of this bothers me. How is this so easy for you?”

“It’s not _easy,_ but it’ll be manageable as long as we’re not constantly running into each other. You have good friends, Louis. Forget the rumors, and forget the jerks—focus on enjoying yourself. I’ll still be around if you really need me.”

“Until next year.”

“Just because I’m gone doesn’t mean I won’t be there for you,” Harry told him. “You can still call me when I’m at uni.”

“Where are you going?”

“London.”

Louis was relieved to hear that. Maybe he hadn’t thought about his own plans in depth, but London was home to enough universities that he was sure one would offer a program he liked. He’d always kind of imagined finding a uni somewhere closer to Doncaster, but this was his soulmate—surely it would be worth exploring his options at least.

“You don’t need to do this,” Harry said, shaking his head. “You should focus on what’s happening around you—here and now. Not what’s going to happen at the end of the school year, or in the next few years.”

“I really don’t get a say in any of this, do I?” he realized, letting out a sigh.

“You’ll always get a say with me.”

He snorted. “It just doesn’t count as much as yours.”

“It does, but I’m not going to do something that I know’s just going to cause you more pain in the long run. I get that you don’t like this, but I need you to trust me. It’s better this way.”

Trust. They didn’t even know each other, yet he was supposed to trust Harry without question just because they were soulmates. And he _did,_ even after everything that had happened _._ How crazy did that make him?

That didn’t make him any happier though. In fact, he was growing more and more annoyed by the second. No matter what he said or did, he wouldn’t get the outcome he wanted most—they wouldn’t be bonding any time soon. What was the point in even having this conversation?

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Louis decided, his voice quiet.

“Okay,” Harry agreed easily. “This is it then. Call me or text me whenever, but no more face to face meetings.”

“We’re not face to face,” he muttered, mostly to himself.

“You know what I mean.”

“You seem to think so.”

“Stop,” Harry demanded the minute Louis was on his feet. He obeyed, his head down as Harry rose to his feet and stood behind him. “You’re the one who said you didn’t want to talk anymore. If you don’t know what I mean about something, tell me. Don’t get passive aggressive and then walk away.”

“Why? Because it’s childish?” he asked, scoffing. “Maybe you were right about that. I _am_ a child, I don’t understand, and I still don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“What don’t you understand?”

“I don’t understand _you,_ Harry. If you feel even a fraction of what I feel when I’m around you, then you’d get that none of what you said really matters to me. I don’t _care_ that I’m young, or that you’re graduating this year. Being bonded and apart can’t feel any worse than knowing you’re right here and I can’t have you.”

“It’s easy to think that because you’re upset, but there’re worse things,” Harry insisted, a hand on his shoulder. “Come here.”

Louis had to bite back an annoyed whine as he turned, but he was helpless to hold back the gasp that escaped his lips when Harry pulled him in for a tight hug. He’d been expecting a disappointed look, gaze averted. This was so much better.

\---

The next day, Louis saw Harry walking along the main path to the academic building. Jess was hanging off his arm, which was to be expected. The scarf around her neck wasn’t.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for reading <3 I'm so happy you're enjoying this still!

It was almost comical how his friends saw the Harry situation so differently than he did.

The thing that frustrated him most _impressed_ Zayn to no end. His friend basically decided that Harry was the ideal alpha after Louis explained what Harry said—that he was too young, but they’d be together when the time came.

“Seriously, I hope my alpha’s the same way if I meet them early,” Zayn insisted, unable to understand why Louis was still so upset about the whole thing.

Clearly it was because Zayn had never felt the pull. If he knew what it felt like to want someone so completely, he’d never be so nonchalant about it—like waiting so long was perfectly reasonable. And if Louis secretly found himself wishing Harry was Zayn’s soulmate so he could deal with it instead, well…surely he was entitled to a bitter moment or two.

Niall, on the other hand, admitted that it was exactly what he’d suspected from the start. “It sounds like something he’d do. I just don’t get why he took so long to tell you.”

Then he proceeded to tell Louis all the wonderful things he knew about Harry, as agreed. His alpha was admired by most the omega students, always available to help if they had a problem with one of the other alphas. He was intelligent and kind. Charismatic and sweet. Sure, he slept around in the past, but it was always consensual, and he was always clear about his intentions.

Harry Styles was an all-around good guy, and Niall had countless stories that proved it. He even had a great sense of humor—the perfect alpha in nearly every way. For everyone else at least.

It was just so hard for Louis to reconcile the Harry being described with the one he’d met. How could he be so wonderful with so many other people, yet refuse to even be friends with his own soulmate? Maybe it was an unfair question since all signs pointed to the fact that maybe Harry really was just trying to do the right things, but it just hurt.

Right or wrong, what Harry was doing sucked as far as Louis was concerned. Even as the days passed, his opinion had yet to change—no matter how much thought he put into it. If anything, his negative opinion had been solidified by that stupid scarf. It was crazy how something so simple could torment him so much.

“Did you find out?” Louis asked, not wasting time on a _hello_ when his suitemate finally returned to their room.

Niall gave him an indulgent smile. “It’s good to see you too, Lou. And yeah.”

“And?”

“It’s not just people assuming. She started the rumor herself,” Niall revealed, shaking his head dismally.

“Why would she do that? They’re obviously not.”

“Yeah, but who wouldn’t want Harry as their soulmate?” Niall joked, laughing at his own words while Louis fixed him with a hard look. “Other than, you know, his _actual_ soulmate.”

“Still not funny.”

“C’mon, Lou. You’ve gotta lighten up about this. Wait till you take your Alpha/Omega dynamics course next year—you’ll get exactly why Harry told you it was better to wait,” the elder omega insisted, far more seriously. “Bonded mates get crazy when they’re separated for more than a few days at a time. It’s not good.”

“It can’t be that bad. I looked into it, and there are buses nearby that run to the city every weekend.”

“You’d want to go way more often than the weekends _,_ Lou. You’d both start skipping classes—you wouldn’t be able to focus after a day or two. If you got sad, which you would, he’d feel it through the bond. Constantly. Do you know what the kinda thing does to an alpha?”

“But—”

“No, Lou. I know it sucks, but Harry’s right. And he’s right about you being too young. You’ve got a lot to learn about this stuff,” Niall said, softening with every word.

Louis found himself mulling it over, but he just didn’t know what to make of it. Maybe Niall was right—his friend had always been honest and helpful whenever Louis had an issue. If he took a few more classes, maybe everything Harry said would make a lot more sense. That was the purpose of going to a specialty school.

Right now though, he was still irritated. “What about Jess?”

“I don’t think that’s his fault. I doubt he has any idea she’s saying those things—he’s not the type to listen to gossip.”

“But I told him people were talking, and he told me he’d ask her to stop wearing the scarves.”

“Okay. So do something about it.”

Louis frowned, feeling more and more helpless. “She glares at me every time I see her. She won’t listen if I tell her to stop.”

“I meant call Harry. He told you to, right? Whenever you needed to talk, or needed an alpha. This is something that only he can help you with.”

“Can’t you do it?” Louis replied, almost pleading. “He’s _your_ friend.”

“He’s _your_ soulmate,” Niall countered with a shrug. “I wouldn’t be helping if I did this for you.”

“Fine,” he muttered, pulling out his phone.

He could do this. Harry had _told_ him he could do this. Granted, he probably hadn’t been expecting it so soon. That hardly mattered, right? If he’d just taken care of it right away instead of stalling, it wouldn’t have been an issue again.

That thought gave him the push he needed to press call, his heart pounding faster with every ring.

“Louis? What’s wrong?” Harry asked immediately.

“Nothing,” he assured the alpha, taken aback by the amount of concern in his voice. “I just was wondering when you were going to talk to your girlfriend about the scarf thing.”

“I thought we decided to just leave it unless there were more rumors.”

“Oh. That’s not what I thought,” Louis responded, almost positive they’d agreed on this.

“Okay. I’ll talk to her today then.”

He blinked. That was easy. “Good.”

“Do you need anything else?”

“Not really,” he admitted. Suddenly this entire conversation felt a little petty. “Does she know you met your _actual_ soulmate?”

“No. I thought it’d be better not to go around telling people, since we’re waiting.”

“Oh, okay. Good.” People knowing would only make his own rumor situation worse, surely. They’d just barely started losing interest in him. “Is this okay? Calling you about things like this?”

“Yeah, it is. I meant what I told you that day—any time you need to talk. If something’s bothering you, I want to help.”

“Well, Zayn and Niall think you’re right,” Louis said slowly, glancing up to catch Niall beaming at him. He rolled his eyes, only to get a thumbs up from the goofball. “I still don’t like any of this though. It’s kind of bothering me that they’re on your side.”

Harry laughed at that. “I don’t really like this either, babe. It’s just how it has to be for now.”

He could feel the heat in his cheeks at the endearment. So much for strictly calling him _Louis._ For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to protest this time. “Yeah, well, maybe you can talk to Niall. Tell him to be on my side,” Louis ventured, smirking at the look Niall gave him for that.

“I’ll do that.”

“Really?” he asked, surprised again when Harry said yeah like it was no big deal. “Great. I don’t suppose you’ll also do something stupid in front of Zayn? He seems to think you’re perfect or something.”

“Uh, do you have something specific in mind?”

Louis’ smile grew wider and wider—what was happening right now? Harry was being so much more agreeable than he expected. He hadn’t even been serious about the Zayn thing. “I don’t know. Maybe just something an old school alpha would do.”

“I’m not that kind of alpha.”

“Which is why he thinks you’re so great.”

“I’m not sure I understand why that’s such a bad thing,” Harry told him, chuckling softly.

“You don’t see why it’s bad that one of my closest friends feels the need to tell me how lucky I am to have an alpha like you? It was so much easier when they thought you were just being a jerk!”

“I’ve only met him once. If he thinks I’m great, it’s because you told him nice things about me.”

Louis could practically hear the smile in Harry’s voice. “Hate to break it to you, but the only nice things I know about you are things Niall told me. We’re not friends, remember? Zayn’s just paranoid he’ll meet an alpha who won’t want to wait for him to get through uni, which makes you seem a lot cooler in his eyes.”

Harry paused for a long moment. “What if I just convince _you_ I’m great instead?”

“Uh. You’ve had every opportunity to do that. Still do, really. This is all frustrating, but I’m pretty sure I don’t have it in me to be angry with you for very long,” he admitted, frowning at how easy it was to confess. Why did Harry have to affect him like this?

“I want to make this a regular thing. You and me, talking. I meant what I said about not seeing you, but this is different,” Harry told him.

Louis was immediately skeptical. “You want to talk regularly without being friends?”

“Well, yeah. What we have runs a lot deeper than friendship, so I don’t really wanna call it that,” the alpha insisted. “Whatever you wanna call it’s fine though.”

“I don’t understand,” he said slowly. “Why’d you change your mind?”

“Remember what you said about how you were worried I wouldn’t want you when the time came?”

“Yeah,” he muttered, heart sinking at the thought.

“I don’t want you to get through the next few years by convincing yourself I’m an asshole, gossiping with your friends about what a bad alpha I am. I want you to want me at the end of all this, too.”

“You’re worried _I_ won’t want _you?_ ” he reiterated, snorting quietly.

“I haven’t given you much reason to want me, have I? I really don’t like how our talk went the other day,” Harry admitted. “I’ve been frustrated ever since, and now that we’re talking, I can see why. I’m supposed to be your alpha, but I shot down every single thing you asked for. That wasn’t fair. I still can’t give you what you really want, but this? I can do this. We can be friends. Phone friends.”

Louis blinked again, growing more and more overwhelmed by the second. Of all the ways for this call to go…Part of him hadn’t even expected Harry to pick up. Part of him had been sure he’d just been trying to appease Louis that day without agreeing to anything permanent.

Probably because he’d been doing exactly what Harry said—convincing himself the alpha was an asshole after everything that had happened. Convincing himself that only a jerk would walk around with Jess and her stupid, scarf covered neck.

But he didn’t _want_ to think the worst of his soulmate. He didn’t want to end up resenting him more and more until it was too late. It’d be nice to freely believe all the nice things Niall said—to _agree_ when Zayn praised his soulmate. Every fiber of his being wanted that, even while his mind wasn’t convinced.

“Are you there, babe?”

“Yeah, I just…are you sure?” Louis asked hesitantly. He liked the idea a little too much, and things were complicated enough with Harry. “I’d rather not otherwise. I won’t forgive you if you change your mind in a month.”

“I’m sure,” Harry told him with confidence. “Why don’t we start small? Maybe like once a week, unless something comes up sooner? If that doesn’t make this any harder on either of us, we can try more often.”

“I’d like that.”

“Good. I’ve gotta get to class, but I’ll talk to Jess by the end of the day, okay?”

Louis deflated at her name. “Yeah, okay.”

“Let me know if you need anything else, otherwise I’ll call you this weekend.”

“Okay,” he agreed.

“Remember what we talked about, too. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself. Niall mentioned you still weren’t eating much.”

“You talked to _Niall_ about me?” Louis asked, shooting the omega in question an incredulous glance.

“It’s not like we had a long chat about you specifically. We’re friends, Lou. We talk about a lot of things.”

Louis just grumbled, not bothering with a coherent response.

“It wasn’t a big deal, I promise. I’d tell you more, but I’ve really gotta go now—maybe ask Niall about it?”

“Okay,” he agreed again, not really seeing an alternative.

“Have a good day, babe.”

“You too,” he muttered, unable to fight the smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

“Bye.”

He echoed the word before hanging up, staring at his phone for a solid minute after the call had ended. It was impossible to sort through all the emotions flooding him. He’d gone from irritated, to pleased, to hopeful—then right back to annoyed. All in one call. And even still, he was smiling.

“Sounded like that went well,” Niall said, grinning at him.

“I think it did,” Louis responded, not entirely sure.

“Well, you called for one thing, and got a whole conversation out of it.”

“He says he wants to talk more often—that we can be friends as long as we’re not running into each other in person.”

“How’s it feel over the phone?” Niall questioned, sounding genuinely curious.

Louis considered it for a moment. “Hearing him talk makes me happy, even when he’s saying frustrating things. It’s a bit confusing.”

“Think that’s pretty common. His voice resonates with something in you, you know?”

“Yeah,” he said, having felt just that. “It’s not as overwhelming as it is in person, but it’s still nice.”

“Sounds like a good idea then. At least you’ll still have contact with him, right?”

“Yeah, as long as he follows through. I don’t want to get my hopes up for nothing,” he admitted with a frown. “He said he’d call me this weekend.”

“Then he will. That’s how he is, remember? If he tells you’ll he’ll do something, he will.”

Louis hummed in agreement, figuring he’d find out for himself in a few days. “So what’d you talk to him about? He said you were telling him things about me.”

“Uh, it’s not like that,” Niall said quickly. “He’s just been checking with me about when we’re planning to be in the cafeteria. I told him to stop asking you, remember?”

“And you decided to tell him about my eating habits?”

“No! He just asked me if you were eating more, and I said yeah, but not as much as you could be.”

“That’s not fair. I can’t go from not eating much to eating a ton,” Louis told him, shaking his head. “It’ll take more than few days to work myself up to a normal appetite again.”

“I know that.”

“I don’t want him to think I can’t take care of myself.”

“You’re reading into this way too much. It was one quick comment, and Harry knows how this stuff works,” Niall assured him. “From now on, I’ll just tell him to ask you since you’re talking. I never wanted to be in the middle anyway.”

“I never wanted you to be in the middle either,” Louis responded, losing some of the steam he’d built up. His friends really had been amazing—he ought to be more appreciative. “Do you really think talking to him will be a good thing?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t want to spend the next few years thinking he’s a jerk, but if I spend the next few years thinking he’s great…won’t that be just as hard?”

“Maybe. At least you’ll be looking forward to being together.”

“Are you looking forward to finding your alpha?”

“I think about it every day,” Niall confessed, his voice quieter than usual. “Especially since I met you. You’re the first student here who’s met theirs in a long time.”

“Would you mate now if you had the choice?”

“If I met them, I’d want to. I hope it doesn’t happen for a few more years though. It’s kind of shitty for you, you know? You’re not even mated, but you’ve got this connection. I wouldn’t want to base my decisions about uni around where someone else will be—I’d want to follow my own plan, then meet them.”

“Who says I’m basing my plans around him?”

“Uh. You did?” Niall responded, confused. “You’re only in your first year, and you’re already looking into unis in London. I’m not even looking into where to go yet.”

“Yeah, but it’s _London._ It’s not like my options are limited there.”

“I know. I’d do the same if I met my soulmate.”

“But you’re glad you don’t have to,” Louis concluded with a frown.

“I guess. I just want to be my own person first. I’m excited about meeting them, but it’s not a rush.”

Louis frowned yet again, arms folded across his chest. “I’m my own person.”

“Yeah, you are. If he’d mated you though, who knows? You’d spend all your free time with him instead of doing your own thing. We probably wouldn’t hang out half as often.”

He thought about that, and could only conclude that Niall was probably right again. The people he was closest to would all come second to Harry, no doubt. It was kind of sad to think about. “Let’s hang out then. This is still a Harry free zone, right?”

Niall chuckled softly. “Yeah. Unless something new happens, right? That was our deal.”

“Well, we talked about the new thing. Let’s do something else now. You don’t have class for an hour, right?”

“Yeah. What’d you have in mind?”

“I want to see a legend in action,” Louis replied with a smirk. “Any pranks left this week?”

“Uh, _yeah,”_ Niall said, jumping to his feet without pause. “We’ve got just enough time, actually. Unless you want to wait until later when Zayn can join?”

Louis eyed the time on his phone, thinking over Zayn’s schedule for the day. “He should be here soon.”

“We’ll give him ten minutes, otherwise it’ll have to wait till later,” Niall decided, gesturing for Louis to follow him out of their room.

They headed down the stairs, exchanging smiles and hellos with the omegas they encountered along the way. Then they waited outside the building, chatting away about all the easy subjects—classes, gossip, and the date Niall was apparently going on that weekend.

“He’s nice,” Louis noted, having met the alpha Niall mentioned once or twice.

“Yeah, I think so,” Niall agreed with a bright smile. “Should be fun at least.”

“It’s your first date in a while, yeah?”

“First one this school year,” he confirmed. “It’s good too, ‘cause my heat’s coming up in a few weeks.”

“You spend your heats with alphas?”

“If I’m seeing someone, yeah. It sucks spending them alone,” Niall told him, a sympathetic look on his face. It went unsaid that Louis intended to spend quite a few heats on his own. “You know, sometimes omegas spend them together too. I’d be willing, if you wanted help from someone you know.”

His eyes went wide, heat flooding his cheeks. “Uh, no thanks.”

“I’m not saying we’d have to have sex, but the toys feel nicer when someone else’s using them on you. Trust me.”

“Niall!” he exclaimed, glancing around anxiously. How could he talk about this so casually when they were in public?

“It’s up to you—was just letting you know it’s an option. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Can we not talk about this right now?”

Niall just laughed. “Okay, okay. You’re just proving Harry’s point though. You can’t even talk about this stuff without blushing, but you think you’re ready to mate.”

“I don’t—”

“You realize that means him knotting you, right? Then he’d mark you while—”

“I _know,”_ Louis hissed, face red as he glared up at his friend. “We got the sex talk in class already.”

“Okay,” Niall said again, still smirking. “What about you, then? Have you thought about dating? I heard a second year alpha asked you out last week.”

“Uh, he did, but I said no,” Louis replied awkwardly. “This Harry thing’s a bit distracting.”

“Yeah, but he wants you to have the full school experience, right? It might not be a bad idea to think about seeing other people. Doesn’t mean you have to do anything serious.”

“It’s too soon for that. Harry and I just barely worked things out. I don’t want to screw it up already.”

“If he’s seeing Jess, he’s got no right to be mad about you seeing anyone else. Just maybe not anyone too much older, yeah? Don’t think he’d like it much if you started seeing someone in his year.”

“Well, yeah. And you’re right. He told me it was okay if I dated or whatever. I don’t think he meant right now though,” Louis admitted quietly. Personally, he’d been thinking no sooner than next year—well after Harry graduated. And that was assuming he could wrap his head around the idea of seeing anyone else even on a temporary basis. Harry was consuming, always on his mind. That wouldn’t change overnight. “I’ve got classes and other things to do anyway. Zayn and I were talking about joining a club or something.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“We haven’t agreed on one yet. He’s into artsier stuff, but we’re both kind of—” He cut himself off, pleased to see a waving Zayn approaching them in a hurry. “Hey, Z.”

“Hey! Did you hear what happened today?” Zayn asked, looking between them eagerly.

“Uh, I’m going to assume not,” Louis responded—otherwise Niall would’ve brought it up already. “What is it?”

“An alpha in our year went into an early rut,” he revealed, causing both their eyes to go wide.

“Was it a soulmate thing?” Niall asked, beating Louis to the question.

“Nope.”

Louis’ mind immediately began to wander, zoning out as Niall milked the rest of the details from Zayn. There were so many things he wanted to know as well—who it was, where it happened, how it was handled. But he couldn’t get past one thought.

He was no longer the odd one out in his year.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for the delay, and the fact that this one's kind of short. I've had a crummy week filled with corrupt word files and lost saves, soooo that's no fun at all. hopefully it's still enjoyable!

His name was Dean, and Louis had met him on more than one occasion. They shared three classes each week, and had even been paired up on an English project a while back. He was one of the few first years who’d never participated in the rumor mill after Louis’ presentation, and now that made a lot more sense.

“It was in my lab results,” Dean revealed, and only when no one else was around to hear it. A few days had passed since his rut, and the speculation was endless. As far as Louis knew, he’d yet to address any of it. “The doctors said it’d probably happen before Christmas.”

The omega blinked at the unsolicited explanation. “Guess they were right.”

“Guess so,” he agreed, chuckling softly.

“I wasn’t going to ask, you know,” Louis told him, offering a tiny smile.

“I know. But I also know you’re the only one who gets what I’m going through. I know you won’t go around telling everyone.”

“Yeah, of course not. It’s not fun, is it?”

“Not really. I don’t see why it’s such a big deal to everyone. It’s going to happen to all of them soon enough.”

“At least you’d already been in that class for weeks now. No one can say the teacher’s your soulmate or anything crazy like that,” Louis joked, earning a laugh from the alpha. “I’m actually kind of curious what they’re saying about you, not that I hope it’s anything bad. I haven’t been listening to the rumors so far.”

Dean just smiled indulgently, not bothered by that statement. “You’re not bonded, so I’m assuming none of those rumors about you were true?”

“Uh, no,” he confirmed, cheeks flushed under the intense stare he was receiving. “None of them are true.”

“So it was a hormone thing too,” the new alpha assumed. All Louis could do was smile a bit, not wanting to lie, but not feeling the need to explain himself. “Do I smell good to you now?”

“Uh. Well, most alphas do,” he replied, hand on the back of his neck. “Most omegas probably smell good to you, too.”

“Yeah. It’s so weird going to eat now, or even walking around campus when omegas are around.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Louis reassured him. “My friend told me I was lucky in a way. If we’d presented in a year or two, we’d be surrounded by classmates who smell. We get to adjust without all that distraction.”

“I don’t know what I’d do if everyone in class smelled as good as you. I’d never get anything done.”

“Plus, when the other alphas start presenting, they’re all going to come to you for advice,” he said, remembering Niall telling him something similar—that the same omegas who were spreading rumors would be the first to come to him for help in a year or two. “Do you feel different?”

“Did you?” Dean countered, raising both brows.

“Not really,” Louis shrugged. “But I _was._ I thought it was just the smells at first, since I always had omega tendencies. I started doing things I’d ever done though—didn’t even realize it at first.”

He frowned at the thought. The way he would veer toward self-punishment without being consciously aware. The way his reactions were so much more extreme, which was saying a lot given how dramatic he already tended to be. The way his mind screamed at him for not complying with every alpha who asked him for even the simplest favor.

“I’m mostly used to it now,” he added, smiling a bit. “It helps that one of my closest friends is older. The teachers are great, too. They let me stay after class if I have extra questions about something.”

“That’s good. I worried about you for a while there, when the rumors were really bad.”

Louis blinked in surprise. “Oh. Well, after a week or so, I just started to laugh at them. They kept getting crazier, you know? Like this one time, the headmaster stopped by one of my classes, and—“

“I heard that one!” Dean interjected, chuckling softly. “They said he couldn’t keep his eyes off you. That he was your secret soulmate.”

“Yeah, and you know why that’s so funny?” Louis asked, laughing because he already knew the answer. The young alpha just smiled, shaking his head. “The headmaster’s an omega! They literally just assumed he was an alpha because he’s in charge around here.”

“He’s a bit tall, too,” Dean added, looking surprised himself. “I wouldn’t have guessed he was an omega.”

“Those kinds of assumptions are so stereotypically. Omegas can be tall and have jobs like that.”

“Clearly. They can also be tiny and adorable,” Dean said with a wink.

Louis refrained from rolling his eyes. “Either way, it just goes to show our classmates really don’t know much about this stuff. You just have to take everything they say with a grain of salt. And if you ever want someone to laugh at the rumors with, come see me.”

“I think I’ll take you up on that.”

“Okay, good. It’s really nice having someone else who gets it,” Louis said, pleased by the broad smile he got for his words. “I mean, my friends are great, but they’ve never been in this position.”

“Well, you’re not alone anymore.”

Louis just smiled again. Alone wasn’t the right word—he had the best friends imaginable, and he maybe had his weekly chats with Harry. But it was something. He had a connection with Dean that he’d never have with anyone else. It was a matter of empathy.

“Can I get your number?” Dean asked when Louis didn’t say anything else, already pulling his phone out. Louis snatched it from him and added himself to the alpha’s contacts, pleased when his phone dinged a moment later. “Perfect. I’ve got class, but we should meet up sometime. Maybe we can grab dinner together and talk more?”

“Yeah, sure,” he agreed easily. “Just let me know ahead of time. I usually go kind of early with my friends.”

It was a new arrangement Niall had made with Harry. He would do dinner between 4 and 5, while Harry went between 5:30 and 7. That way they didn’t run into one another, and Niall didn’t end up being their go-between every day.

“How about tonight?” Dean replied right away.

“Uh, okay,” Louis said, not seeing any reason why not. “My last class is out at 3.”

“Mine ends at 4. Maybe we can go around 5 or 5:30?”

“Sure. I’ll meet you there,” Louis told him, waving as the alpha said his goodbyes.

There was still half an hour before his next class, so he found himself walking in the opposite direction. It was a nice day outside, and he’d found a good spot to sit out and study or read.

He sent a quick text to Harry as he walked, just in case.

_I’m going to dinner later tonight, 5 or 5:30._

And then he pulled out a book, sitting down on the grass underneath a large tree. It was hard to focus though. Zayn was in his next class, and he couldn’t wait for it to begin—to tell him about Dean. No doubt his friends would be curious to learn more about the alpha’s sudden presentation, and he knew he could trust them to keep it to themselves. Hopefully they’d be happy that Louis had made a new friend, too.

His phone dinged as he was thinking about it all, keeping him distracted. It was Harry, of course.

_Did something come up?_

Louis was quick to answer, _I made a new friend and he’s out of class later._

There was no response in the next few minutes, so he picked up his book again. It was a bit boring. Within minutes he was glancing over the top of it, watching the students who were out and about instead. School was feeling a lot more like home these days, and he found he knew more and more of the students even if they weren’t all his friends. Maybe it was Niall’s doing—his omega friend knew everyone, and wasn’t shy about introducing them to Louis and Zayn.

“Louis, right?”

Louis inclined his head toward the feminine voice, surprised to see _her_ approaching. Jess. He was even more surprised to see her scarf was finally gone. Instead she was wearing a turtle neck, which was more than a little odd given the nice weather.

“Can I help you?” he ground out, forcing a tight lipped smile.

“Yeah, actually. You can tell me what’s going on between you and my boyfriend,” she replied, almost too sweetly.

“Um. We’re friends,” was the best he could come up with.

“It seems like a bit more than that. Harry’s not the kind of alpha to let just any omega scent him.”

He quirked a brow, remembering all the stories Niall had told him. “Actually, he is. He’s helped me a few times when I needed it, and I’m not the only one.”

“I know you’ve been talking to him. He smelled like you last week.”

“We’re friends,” Louis said again, shaking his head a bit. He fidgeted with his phone, feigning as much indifference as he could while he opened up the voice recording tool and clicked start. Something told him Niall and Zayn would get a kick out of hearing this conversation later. “I’m not sure what else you want me to say.”

“You called him, and an hour later he was asking me to stop wearing scarves. _Why?”_

“We talked because we’re _friends,”_ he reiterated plainly. “Anything else you’ll have to ask him yourself.”

“Why does he care what time you go to eat?” Jess demanded, crossing her arms.

“Are you…going through his phone?” Louis realized, stunned when she didn’t respond. She must’ve been. There was no way she’d been around when he spoke with Harry, and it sounded an awful lot like she’d seen the texts from Niall. “I really don’t think it’s my place to talk about this with you.”

“He’s my soulmate. Whatever you’re trying to do needs to stop.”

“Your soulmate?” Louis scoffed. “Right. Keep telling yourself that.”

“What do _you_ know about it? You’re just a first year.”

“Well, I know most soulmates don’t try to cover their marks with scarves and turtle necks,” Louis shot back, mimicking the sweet smile she’d flashed him at the start of their conversation. “That tells me there’s probably nothing to show underneath there.”

“You’re wrong,” Jess responded, tugging at her collar without hesitation. Louis’ eyes went wide as she lowered it, his stomach twisting at the sight. Her skin was littered with hickeys, and there was a very distinct looking bite mark on the side of her neck—right where a mating mark would be. It was _fresh_ though, like she’d just gotten it. “He marks me again every time we’re together. Says he can’t get enough.”

Louis just stared, the color gone from his face and the comebacks lost in his head. What could he even say to that? Sure, he knew that Harry wasn’t really her soulmate, but what the hell? Did he have a biting fetish, or did he just really wish Jess were the one instead?

What happened to _it’s not serious?_

She covered her neck again, a smug look on her face. “Not so chatty now, are you? That’s good, I just want you to listen anyway. Harry’s mine. We’re soulmates, and soulmates don’t cheat. Whatever you have planned won’t work, so you may as well quit while you’re ahead. All you’re doing is embarrassing yourself.”

“You can have him,” Louis muttered, sure he was about ready to vomit.

Jess turned on her heel, triumphant as she left him there. All he could do was stare after her for a moment, still too stunned to react or move. It wasn’t until he actually _did_ vomit that he snapped out of it, absentmindedly ending the recording a moment later.

So much for that being funny.

He got to his feet, a bit shaky as he gathered his belongings. It was nearly time for class, but he wasn’t going to make it through if he didn’t drink some water first. The cafeteria was close enough—he’d only be a few minutes late at the rate he was moving.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Louis glanced up, recognizing the alpha who’d asked—Aaron. He was one of the older students who had let Louis into the alpha dorms when he first started pranking with Zayn. A friend of Niall’s, too.

“Fine,” he replied, forcing a smile.

“You don’t look fine,” Aaron told him, his voice too soft to be insulting. “Are you sick?”

“I just need some water and I’ll be good.”

“Wait here,” the alpha instructed. “I’ll get it for you.”

The protest was on the tip of his tongue, but Aaron was gone before he could get it out. Instead he sighed, dropping his school bag to the ground before slumping against the building. Within a minute, a sealed bottle of water was being handed to him, Aaron watching him with obvious concern.

Louis took a few sips, then a few deep breaths. “Thank you,” he muttered, sincerely this time.

“No problem. Any friend of Harry’s is a friend of mine.”

“Excuse me?”

“Harry put out the word about you,” Aaron responded conversationally. “Said you were going through a lot, and that we should look out for you.” All Louis could do was shake his head at that. Unbelievable. “You look sick again.”

“Can you do me a favor and not mention this to him?”

“I already sent him a message,” the alpha admitted, shrugging unapologetically. “Don’t worry though. He gets like this—always wants to help when omegas are having a hard time.”

“Did it ever occur to you that he’s the reason I’m having a hard time?” Louis asked, narrowing his eyes at a shocked Aaron. “I don’t _want_ his help.”

He sighed as his phone started going off, not doubting for a second it was Harry. The last thing he needed was more mock concern and fake reassurances, so he didn’t bother checking.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3 thank you all for reading, as always. fyi, my new job is about to start, so my free time is about to be cut in half. I'm hoping it won't interfere too much with regular updates, but I figured it'd be worth letting you all know just in case!

Dinner with Dean was surprisingly pleasant, especially considering the way his afternoon had gone. They’d gotten their food to-go at Louis’ request, taking it over to the benches by the football field to eat. It wasn’t ideal, but Harry had sent him so many messages—he didn’t want to risk staying in the cafeteria if it meant having his soulmate show up to make his day worse.

Thankfully Dean had accepted his explanation that it’d be better to have some privacy without questioning him, clearly picking up on Louis’ dampened mood. It had really only gotten worse during class, to the point where he couldn’t even bring himself to tell Zayn what happened. For once he just didn’t want to talk about it at all—didn’t want to vent or think or dwell.

All he wanted was a distraction, and Dean had more than provided that.

“We’ll have to play together sometime,” Dean said, grinning at Louis as their footie conversation came to a close. It was yet another thing they had in common, apparently. “Maybe you could teach me that move.”

“I’m not even sure I can do it still,” Louis responded, grinning back. “It’s been a while since I played seriously.”

“You could always join the school’s team. Try outs are done for this year, but next year maybe.”

He quirked a brow. “Do they take omegas?”

“Yeah. League rules require a set number of alphas and omegas per team,” Dean explained, which was news to him.

“I had no idea. Things got so crazy at the start of the year—I must’ve missed the memo.”

“That’s okay. Gives you time to practice, right? Which gives us something to do together.”

Louis smiled a bit. “Really?” he asked, unsure.

“Why not? I’m pretty good.”

“How about this? I’ll practice with you, but only if you try out with me next year.”

Dean beamed at him. “Deal.”

“It works out anyway. I’m already doing a lot this year,” Louis said, having just joined an omega-only club with Zayn the other day. Self-defense. They’d missed the club’s first few meetings, but were told it was no big deal—new members were welcome at any point of the schoolyear. “I’ll be learning how to kick some alpha ass pretty soon.”

“Oh really?” Dean asked, looking him up and down with a chuckle.

Louis whacked his shoulder lightly. “Really! The whole point is for people my size to learn how to take down people your size. Give me two weeks, and I’ll be a pro.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” the alpha responded with a wink.

All that got him was a scowl. “I’m not the kind of omega you want to underestimate.”

“I would never. Mostly I just wanted you to tackle me.”

“Oh,” Louis muttered, hand on the back of his neck. How had he missed that? “I…yeah. I guess I misunderstood.”

“It’s okay. We only just started hanging out—we’ve got a long ways to go before we understand each other perfectly,” Dean reminded him with an encouraging smile.

“Yeah,” he agreed, trying to smile as well. “Just, you know I’m not flirting with you, right?”

“I figured. It’s cool, I only just presented so I’m not looking to get involved anyway,” the alpha told him, like it was really no big deal. “I get a little flirty with my friends sometimes, but I don’t mean anything by it. I’ll stop if it bothers you.”

“It’s fine as long as we’re on the same page. I’m not looking to get involved right now either.”

“We’re on the same page,” Dean reassured him with a kind smile. “Want me to walk you back to your dorm? It’s getting kind of dark.”

“Yeah, that’d be great.”

He hopped to his feet, collecting his trash before walking with Dean toward the rubbish bin. Then they were on their way, talking about their schedules as they tried to figure out the best day to meet up again to get in some footie practice.

“So Thursday,” Dean concluded, getting a nod from Louis. It was the best day for each of them. “Why don’t we make a routine then? We’ll play for a bit, then do dinner like tonight?”

“Yeah, that works for me,” he agreed easily.

It was a nice addition to his routine. Between pranks, self-defense, and footie, his time outside of classes would be a lot more productive. He could only study and do homework for so long each night.

“Oh no,” Louis grumbled, his mood souring as they got closer to his dorm building.

“What’s wrong?” Dean asked, glancing down.

“I don’t want to talk to him,” he replied, nodding toward the alpha standing outside the building—Harry. Why was he even there?

“Is he bothering you?”

“Something like that.”

Dean furrowed his brows. “I’ll deal with him, don’t worry.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I’m not helpless—I can handle him.”

The alpha looked a bit reluctant, but gave a quick nod as they continued walking. It didn’t take long before Harry spotted them as well, looking more than a little put off as they stopped in front of him.

“I sent you a dozen messages,” Harry began, glancing between them. “What’s going on, Lou?”

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Since when? I thought we were good now.”

“That was before I found out what an unbelievable jerk you are. You make me sick. Literally.”

Harry’s mouth hung open for a long moment. “What happened?”

“He doesn’t want to talk to you,” Dean said, fixing Harry with a hard stare.

“And I don’t want to talk to _you,”_ Harry shot back, eyes flickering over to Dean for just a moment before they were back on Louis’ frame. “We agreed, Lou. You said you’d tell me when something was bothering you.”

“That was before I knew _you’d_ still be the thing that was bothering me!”

“We didn’t even talk today. You sent me a message, I replied, and that was that.”

“I can’t deal with this right now,” Louis decided, his body trembling with frustration. Harry looked so _confused,_ and all he wanted to do was spill his guts—tell his soulmate what was wrong, and allow himself to be consoled. That couldn’t happen though. It would just become a vicious cycle at this rate, where Harry kept telling him what he wanted to hear only to disappoint him again within a week’s time. “Just leave me alone. It’s what you want anyway.”

“Louis, that’s not—”

He glared at his alpha, pulling his student ID from his back pocket and moving to the building’s door with purpose.

“Wait,” Harry commanded, the word striking him to the core—an alpha command, bringing him to a grinding halt.

“Don’t,” Dean said, his alpha voice ringing out just as loudly.

Louis whimpered, a sharp pain tearing through his head. _Bad, bad, bad…_ Whether he moved or stayed, he would be ignoring one of them. What was he supposed to do now?

“Are you an idiot?” Harry hissed, not directed at Louis, but still causing him to flinch. “Do you even know what that does to an omega? You can’t go around using contradictory commands!”

“You shouldn’t have used your voice in the first place! He told you he didn’t want to talk to you!”

“Look at him,” Harry demanded, pausing for a moment. Louis could only assume Dean was looking—he hadn’t moved an inch, and couldn’t bring himself to turn his head to see. “We both gave him commands, and he listened to _mine._ He waited because he trusts me. The rest of this is none of your business.”

“If you’d just respected him in the first place—”

“Louis,” Harry called out, causing the omega’s heart rate to spike up again. “Turn around, love.” It wasn’t an alpha command this time, but he found himself helplessly obeying yet again. “Can you ask your friend to leave? We need to talk privately.”

“You don’t have to listen to him, Lou,” Dean insisted, shaking his head.

“It’s okay,” Louis muttered, eyes fixated on the ground. “You can go, Dean. I need to talk to him.”

The younger alpha hesitated for a long moment before walking off with a sigh, hammering in the guilt Louis already felt for disobeying his new friend.

“Thank you, Louis.”

“I still don’t want to talk to you.”

“Why? What did I do?” Harry asked, approaching him tentatively. He couldn’t bring himself to step back, still half-stuck in place. “You can move now, Lou. Do whatever you need to do—just talk to me.”

Louis remained in place, eyes down. He didn’t know what to say or do really. How could Harry not know exactly what was bothering him? Thoughts of Jess and the marks all over her neck filled his mind, causing the nausea to swell back up within him.

“You can scent me,” Harry offered, sounding just a bit hopeful.

The thought alone made Louis scoff. He’d rather throw up again than scent Harry right now, even if he was sure it was the only thing that would make the awful feeling inside him go away.

“Come on, babe. What happened?”

He could only ignore the question so many times before deciding to just get it over with. "I saw it," he answered quietly, shaking his head. “I saw her neck, Harry.”

“What’re you talking about?”

“If you didn’t want me, you shoud’ve just said! Lying only makes it worse.”

“I didn’t lie to you,” Harry insisted fiercely. “I’ve got no idea what you’re even talking about, Lou.”

“Yes, you do!” he snapped, pulling his phone out.

He loaded the audio recording that he’d intended to play for his friends, trying to zone it all out as he hit play. The words were a blur, but her voice renewed every bit of frustration and disgust he’d felt that afternoon.

And Harry, his presence really wasn’t helping. What should’ve been comforting was only upsetting, even as the alpha’s confusion morphed into anger.

“What was on her neck?” he asked at the end, finally getting an annoyed Louis to look up for yet another awkward conversation where their eyes never quite met.

He was so done with this. “What, you want me to _describe_ it? I don’t even want to think about it, Harry! You already know, and you’re—”

“I _don’t_ know,” Harry interrupted, shaking his head. “I asked her to stop wearing scarves, and she did. There’s nothing on her neck.”

“You’re the best liar I’ve ever met.”

“I am not a liar,” his soulmate responded, enunciating every word carefully.

“Do you do that to all the people you sleep with?” Louis wondered, crossing his arms. “Or is she just special? You wish you could mark her that badly, huh? What was it she said—you can’t get enough?”

“I didn’t mark her.”

“Well someone did!” Louis exclaimed, stomping his foot without a care for how childish it made him look. It wasn’t like Harry took him seriously anyway. “She’s either cheating on you, or you’re lying to me.”

“I saw her this afternoon. There’s nothing there!”

Louis huffed irritably. “ _I_ saw her this afternoon, and her neck was covered! Hickeys everywhere, and a _bite_ mark, Harry. And I really don’t care if it’ll heal in a few days. I can barely handle you having a girlfriend! I refuse to accept the fact you’re going around wishing you could bond with someone else.”

“I’m not!”

“If you don’t want me, fine. I don’t want you either.”

“ _Louis,”_ Harry urged, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. The omega flinched, taking a single step back. “Okay. I’m sorry, I won’t touch you. I need you to listen to me very carefully though.”

“Fine,” he said, but not before rolling his eyes.

“I did not mark her. I do not _want_ to mark her, temporarily or otherwise. I promise, I’ll take care of this next time I see her. No one gets to talk to you the way she did—I won’t tolerate it.”

Louis opened his mouth, but suddenly found himself at a loss. “Are you…is this your way of covering up what you did?”

“No. I didn’t do what you think I did, Lou. I had no idea she was the kind of person to act like that. I thought she understood we were just fooling around together.”

“But you aren’t _just_ fooling around. She’s your girlfriend!”

“No, babe. She’s the girl who I’ve been sleeping with for a while, who asked if we could put a title to it since I didn’t want to sleep around anymore anyway. It’s not serious, and it never was.”

“I don’t understand,” Louis muttered, shaking his head in confusion. “I know what I saw.”

“I believe you. We’re soulmates, Lou—lying to each other isn’t something we’re capable of doing,” Harry told him slowly. “Whatever you saw today, it wasn’t something I did.”

“So she really did cheat on you?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, sounding completely indifferent. “We didn’t actually talk about being exclusive. It’s not a big deal to me if she was with someone else.”

“But you said...”

“I told her I didn’t want to sleep around anymore, and she said that kind of made us boyfriend and girlfriend. I looked at it more like friends with benefits, but I honestly didn’t care what she wanted to call it. I had no idea she was going around calling me her soulmate. When you said you heard that, I thought it was just people assuming things like they always do around here.”

“You’re friends with _Niall._ How could you not know?”

“Niall knows better than to talk to me about that stuff. I haven’t cared about rumors since I was in my first year.”

Louis let out a disgruntled sigh, his head spinning from all the drama. “I need to go lie down or something.”

“Are you okay?”

“No. My head’s killing me, and talking about this isn’t helping.”

Harry looked like he wanted to step in closer again, but he refrained. “Who was that alpha you were with?”

“My friend, Dean.”

“He’s the one you texted me about?”

“Yeah.”

“He shouldn’t be using his voice on you. _Especially_ if you’re friends.”

Louis just shrugged. Of all the things that had happened, that was the least of his concerns. “He only just presented. He won’t do it again if I ask him not to.”

“He’s that first year,” Harry realized, the frown obvious in his voice. “You should stay away from him for a while. He’s got a lot he needs to get under control—it’s not safe for you to be around him.”

“You don’t get to tell me who I can be friends with, Harry. Not if you don’t want to spend actual time with me.”

Harry sighed. “You can be his friend. Just wait a few months.”

“No.”

“New alphas use their voices by accident. They have a harder time controlling themselves when they get angry, or when they’re turned on. He hasn’t even gone through all his first year alpha courses! It’s not a good idea for you to be around him yet.”

“Harry…I’m exhausted. I just want to go inside and go to bed. I don’t want to talk about any of this anymore.”

“Just promise you’ll stay away from him for a little while,” Harry requested, the words gentle yet insistent.

“I can’t do that. I have classes with him, and we already made plans to hang out again,” Louis said unapologetically. “He doesn’t have anyone else right now.”

“Yes, he does. He has alpha friends who are more than capable of dealing with any mood swings or missteps he makes.”

“They don’t understand. I’m the only one who gets what he’s going through right now.”

“Louis...you’re sweet for caring, but it’s not necessary. Omegas find presenting overwhelming and nerve-wracking. Alphas though, presenting first is a bragging right. He’s probably _proud._ He’s going through something completely different than you did.”

“That’s not true. Everyone’s talking about him just like they talked about me,” Louis insisted, adamant about it.

“Yeah? Did you listen to what they were saying?”

“I know better than to listen to those types of rumors after everything they said about me.”

“Listen to them this time. The first years are probably talking about how impressed they are—not how scandalous it is. You’d relate more to whichever alpha presents last.”

“But…there’s no way. That’d be completely unfair. They called me a reject—said I was the unwanted mate of nearly every teacher I have. Why would they think _he’s_ impressive, but not me?”

Harry growled at the teacher comment. “Did they really say that about you?”

“What, _now_ you care about that? I got over those rumors weeks ago.” The lack of response and the tension in the air seemed to be an answer in itself. “Can I go to bed now?”

“Can I hold you first?”

He let out a defeated breath before walking right into Harry’s open arms. It felt an awful lot like caving in, but at this point, he couldn’t bring himself to keep fighting his instincts. Hadn’t he put his foot down enough? Saying no again would be too damn difficult—he’d just end up beating himself up over it instead of sleeping, and this night had sucked enough already.

“I’m sick of this,” Louis murmured after a good minute of breathing in his alpha’s unnaturally soothing scent.

“Sick of what?”

“Sick of having Harry related headaches.”

“This one really isn’t my fault, and I’m going to take care of it first thing in the morning.”

Wasn’t his fault? The comment was so earnest, like Harry genuinely believed what he was saying. It _was_ his fault though, and Louis wouldn’t be persuaded to believe otherwise—not even by his own alpha. Maybe Harry wasn’t responsible for Jess’ actions, but he chose to be with her. If he’d chosen Louis instead, like he was supposed to do, none of this would’ve happened.

“She was staking a claim because she thinks you’re hers. Because you _let_ her think that.”

“I didn’t. I’m going to clear it up with her soon.”

“What would you’ve said if you’d seen it yourself?” Louis wondered, inhaling deeply to keep his frustrations at bay. It really wasn’t fair that the one person who could get him so worked up was the same person who could keep him so calm.

“I wouldn’t have,” the alpha admitted slowly. “She’s supposed to be visiting with her parents this weekend. It would’ve healed up by the time I saw her again.”

“But would you have cared?”

Harry hesitated a moment. “Not the way you’re thinking. I would’ve been put off by it, but not because I care about her or don’t want her with anyone else.”

“Then why?”

“Because another alpha marked her. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s temporary, I still would’ve respected it and backed off. Marks like you described aren’t casual.”

“But if she told you—”

“It wouldn’t have mattered at that point. If she said it was nothing serious, then that would’ve shown me she has a very different definition of casual. Either way, it’d be done.”

“Okay,” he conceded, not quite sure if he _wanted_ to believe it, or if he really did.

“I wish you’d told me she bothered you this much. I would’ve ended it before any of this happened.”

Louis grumbled at that, mostly to himself. _Technically_ Harry had offered to break up with her that day they talked in the classroom, but only after saying they needed to live separate lives. Wasn’t that a contradiction? What right did he have to tell Harry how to live his life? For Christ’s sake, Harry was the alpha here.

Plus, surely Louis’ distaste for Jess had been obvious even before all this.

“If you’d just look at me, none of this would’ve been a problem.”

“I can’t do that,” Harry whispered, holding on a little tighter.

“Then I need to start looking out for myself, and you need to let me. Even if that means I decide you’re a jerk and that I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

“That’s a very adult way to look at the situation.”

He snorted bitterly. “That’s not funny.”

“It’s not supposed to be. You’re right, if all I’m doing is hurting you, then I’ll stop showing up like this.”

“No more using your voice either.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed quietly. “One more chance, yeah?”

“Yeah. One more chance.”

“I won’t let you down, Lou.”

 _Not on purpose,_ Louis thought, Harry's scent keeping him so calm that he didn't see the point in saying it outloud. They’d argued enough for one night.


End file.
